Last Person to Marry
by EmmeralCho
Summary: Chapter 14 is up! Was Draco up to something after a freak accident that got him retarded. Just when Cho thinks she is perfectly content with her life, life throws her a curve ball. What exactly is the twist? That's for you to discover.
1. The ruined day

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~And so it begins*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Last day of Cho's sixth year was a pleasant day. In the morning, she woke up to the song of the mockingbirds. Getting up and was about to brush her long, raven hair, her owl Rhea flew in. The jet-black owl landed on Cho's bed rim and hooted a salutation. "Good morning, Rhea." She stopped to open her window and inhaled a big breath. "Wonderful morning, isn't it? So excited to get home and taste some of mum's famous cooking!" She smiled to herself as she thought about what her parents have in store for her this summer. Every year, her most generous parents and she would head off to another country for a nice, ordinary muggle trip, meaning they don't use magic during their period of vacation. Why they never use magic during the trip was a mystery; it was not like anyone on her side of the family was a muggle or that the muggles might see them do magic. According to Cho's dad and mum, they wanted her to get more in contact with the world, muggle and wizard. After pondering for what seemed like hours, Rhea hopped near Cho, dropping a post. "Oh, I'm deeply sorry, Rhea." She chuckled at how ignored her pet. Cho reached her delicate fingers on the seal of the letter when the head girl barged into the door of the dormitory. "Come on, girls! Get yourselves ready for the end of the year celebration!" Cressida's voice echoed through the room, waking up everyone except for Cho, who was obviously widely awake.  
  
"Oh, come one Cressida, it's only 7:00 in the morning. Celebration doesn't start until an hour." One of Cho's roommates complained half asleep. "Now you know how long it takes for you girls to get ready, I don't want any complaints! Now, now, make haste! Carpe diem!" Cressida said in a sing- song tone. "Blimey! This girl is getting perkier everyday, she's got to get a boy to control her." A girl whispered to Cho. "I heard that, Miss McDawson!" Everyone in the room laughed, which caused all sleepyheads in the room to wake up completely.  
  
Cho's always loved her roommates, they were so caring and funny. As a Chinese girl, Cho's got many friends. In fact, she is one of the most popular girl in school. She was also the prettiest girl in Hogwarts. Her beauty is so remarkable, her friends would often tease her that she would probably be in Hogwarts, A History under the title of "Beauty" in the future. Since Cho was so radiant, it is natural that many guys fancy her, including the famous Harry Potter. Half of the guys in school, ranging from Gryffindor to Slytherin, have fallen head over heels for her. Cho may be a Ravenclaw, witty, but she is very clueless about anything having to do with romance. How she got into a relationship with the Triwizard Tournament champion, Cedric Diggory, was still very weird for her. Unfortunately, in her fifth year, Cedric have fallen under the hands of the evil dark lord. But as time elapsed, Cho's pain was slowly wearing off. Often in times, she would think back all her happy and sad times with Cedric. He will always be in her heart.  
  
As Cho walked slowly towards the Great Hall, she watched the looks hard at the corridor, seeming like she was afraid that by the time she comes back, everything will change. Entering the hall of the excited, boisterous Hogwarts students, she sat down at her table with her friends. She spotted Harry, who's emerald eyes sparkled at the look of Cho. Cho gave a friendly smile and waved to him. She could tell that Harry was blushing crimson. Kiana reached over to Cho and smirked, "That boy sure has an adorable crush on you. Why don't you give him a try? Your excuse before was he was too kiddish for you, but he's so fit now." "Oh, bugger off, Kiana!" Cho said, half chuckling.  
  
The celebration went on with success. Professor Dumbledore made his end-of- the-year speech, bidding farewell to the seventh year and wishing them good luck. Gryffindor, as usual, won the house cup. As everyone cheered excitedly at the Gryffindor table, a blond hair boy stared in envy in the direction of Harry Potter.  
  
When the party ended, everyone filed out of the hall cheerfully. Reaching towards the Hogwarts train, someone bumped into Cho really hard. Trying to pick herself back up, she said apologetically, "I'm sorry. Are you alright?" "Shut up! Miss Perfect!" Draco yelled and stormed away. It was obvious that Draco was still angry from looking at Harry, so cheerful during the celebration. Even the being able to go home for the summer part wasn't able to cheer him up. Cho's friend, Bridget, got the worse side of her. "Hey, you git! How dare you talk to Cho that way?! You know darn well you were the one who bumped into her!" Bridget shouted in spite of the noises in the corridor. Draco stopped dead and walked briskly towards Bridget and Cho. "I'll tell you one thing, Hickam! I," He emphasized on the "I." "get to do anything I want! And you can't stop me, you worm!" "Don't talk to Bridget that way." Cho defended Bridget politely. "And you, Chang! Think you're very pretty. Well, I'll tell you one thing! You are as ugly as a troll! If you were the last female on earth, I wouldn't marry you!" Draco said coldly. He added disgustedly, "Plus, I don't care for Chinese either, such dirty race." That offended Cho greatly. It wasn't like her to get angry at anyone, she got along with everyone greatly, but this was just not the case. "Listen, Malfoy! I wouldn't marry you either if you were the last man on earth! You, you, Creature!" Cho spat out, a bit surprised of what she said. Draco sneered, "that is the worst come back I've ever heard, and they say you're witty! Ha!" He turned around and left, satisfied that he ruined someone's day at least.  
  
Cho stood there, never had she been so angry before. She thought to herself, "Blasted Malfoy!" The rest of the trip was definitely not pleasant for Cho. She sat quietly in her compartment, not joining into her friend's conversation. She remembered the letter she's received that morning and reached into her pocket to take out a lavender envelope. It read:  
  
Cho dear,  
  
About the trip you may be looking forward this summer must be cancelled. Your father and I have something very important to do. While we take care of our business, you will stay with your aunt Elsie.  
  
[the rest of the writing seemed messier, obviously, Cho's dad cut in] I'm sorry dear, that your mum and I must leave you for the summer. But you'll have a mighty good time with your aunt since she loves you so much, plus she lives in a manor.  
  
[the writing was neat again] Cho dear, remember, you're old enough to take care of yourself now. Don't cause any trouble for Aunt Elsie. We love you so much. Do take care!  
  
The note ended with Cho's parents' signatures. Cho sighed, "Well, at least aunt Elsie will have lots of fun activities for me." 


	2. Disastrous encounter

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*  
  
Cho got off the train and pushed her trolley into the King's Cross Station to be greeted by Aunt Elsie. Aunt Elsie was a plump lady with silver hair tied up in a loose bun. She wore a pale green dress with chrysanthemum flowers patterning all over the piece of clothing. This old lady was the second aunt of Cho's mother, who was a Caucasian. So Aunt Elsie was suppose to be Cho's great-aunt; but she calls her aunt anyways because Aunt Elsie didn't want to feel like an old woman. Aunt Elsie reached out her hand when she saw Cho coming near her. "Oh, pookie pie! Oh, you've grown so much!" Aunt Elsie said in her cheerful voice. "Aunt Elsie! Such a pleasure to see you! I can't wait to spend the summer with you." Cho replied to the old woman. "Why I can't wait until I get to spend some time with my favourite great-niece." Cho gave a very big smile.  
  
Aunt Elsie's limousine arrived in front of a magnificent mansion. Aunt Elsie was a very rich lady indeed, even if Cho wasn't. Cho's parents were the richest people on earth, but Cho was satisfied. They tried to give her whatever she wanted even if Cho didn't ask for much. Cho stared in awe at the manor she once saw when she was 12 years old. "It's been such a long time!" Without hesitating, Cho ran towards the large backyard to search for something. There it was the swing hooked to a big oak tree which she liked to spend most of her time on when she visits her aunt. "Oh, it's still here!" Cho expressed. "Of course, this is your paradise, I simply can't annihilate it." Aunt Marge smiled gently. Cho scanned through the garden and toured around the manor, trying to remember how it was before and comparing it to now. Nothing has changed much. After dinner, Cho excused herself to go to the backyard while her aunt busied herself in a book. She walked into the flower garden, sniffing in the night scent of the dewy grass. She was enjoying everything until she spotted a feature flying in the sky. The figure was hooded, somewhat reminding Cho of a dementor. She sucked in her breath and dared not exhale. The figure seemed to realize Cho and flew into the Aunt Elsie's garden. As the stranger lands on the ground, he took off his hood to reveal a blindingly beautiful face, one that could charm millions. His blonde hair was now short and un-gelled, hair bouncing freely as he walk towards the frightened girl. His grayish-green eyes stared into the milky brown eyes of Cho.  
  
"Oh, and I thought it was probably some foreign beauty or something, it's just you." Draco sneered as he uttered out his words coldly. Cho narrowed her almond-shaped eyes. "You're no Mr. Handsome yourself." Cho lied, but at a time like this, she would not forgive herself if she didn't say anything bad. Cho's fists tightened to hold in her anger. Draco was very amused to see Cho like this. After all, most of the girls would admire his charm, despite the ugliness of his attitude. Silence broke in, the only sound heard in the night was the chirping of the crickets. "Why is a poor girl like you in rich old hag's house? Trying to get yourself a better broom? I wouldn't blame you. If I had poor parents like yours who could only afford a Comet 260, I would have find myself a richer hag to live with." Draco laughed to himself. "For your information, I am very happy with my life, thank you very much. I am proud of my parents, proud of the state I am in, and definitely proud of my Comet 260!" Cho almost screamed. Draco didn't say anything, but he laughed tauntingly. Cho couldn't stand it anymore, she's got to crack up an insult. "At least my parents love me!" Draco stopped laughing to expose a bitter look, "If I were you, Chang, I'd watch my back!" He turned around and mounted his broom. Cho could see that Draco was gripping the broom very tight, as if he was strangling someone.  
  
The next morning, Cho woke up to the pleasant fume of her aunt's cooking. She jumped out of her bed and quickly got dressed. For breakfast, she ate her Aunt Elsie's famous strawberry honey-flavoured waffles. Satisfied with a full stomach, Cho went to take a walk. After touring around the street for a while, Cho got really bored. She went home to review her potions book to study (it's not surprising since she's a Ravenclaw.) She flipped to the page and read attentively. "Ahh. Polyjuice potion. Very neat indeed." That gave her an idea of what she could do to occupy her day. She opened her trunk to look for the ingredients, surprisingly, she's got leftover ingredients from her potions class from her sixth year. She took the whole day to brew up the potion, but it will take a week for it to be done. While she waits, she went outside to explore once more. While she was walking aimlessly, a girl wearing very messy robe with fiery red hair bumped into Cho. "Pardon me, miss," was all the girl said before she departed into a grim looking mansion. Cho went back home to find a piece of red hair on her robe. "Perfect!"  
  
A week has passed and the potion was ready. Cho scooped up the potion into a glass cup and dropped the hair into the thick liquid. The liquid hissed and slowly turned into a shade of orange, then fading into a soft yellow. Cho looked quite disgusted at how the potion looked, but gulped every drop down. An uneasy pain struck her a few seconds later. Cho felt a burning sensation within her body, and felt like ripping her organs out. Her skin slowly turned into a lighter color, changing from a tanned-olive color to a fairly white color. Her black locks of hair curled a bit and turned into a shade of auburn. She tried to suck in air, but her throat didn't seem to answer to the reflex. For a while, her heart seemed to stop beating. Everything felt easy after a few minutes of torture. Cho was now looking into the mirror at a 5 inch taller red hair girl with blue eyes. Cho was amazed at how she looked. Obviously, the clothes she was wearing no longer fit her, so she sneaked into her aunt's room to try to find an outfit that would suit her age, which was very hard since Aunt Marge is after all, 102 years old. The best outfit Cho selected was a black blouse (shockingly with no patterns on it) and a pair of navy blue coverall.  
  
Cho stepped out to the house to have some fun with people. She went back to the manor she remembered the red hair girl had retreated to. When she heard some ruffling of footsteps, she quickly hid in a bush. "Come on, they would never know, we'll be in the Leaky Cauldron doing what we want." Cho could see the voice came from the girl she was now portraying. A dark- haired boy no older than 17 replied, "What if they find out? They would kill us." Who's they? Cho pondered. "Come on, I can't stand it anymore, I want your touch! Besides, those old fools like me so much, they can't wait until I marry their snotty son." The girl replied. Before Cho knew it, they apparated. She came out of the bush, looking astonished. "A cheating couple, the world has so many kinds of people." Cho pitied the "snotty" fool who was going to marry that girl. "There you are, Monica!" Cho turned around to see a middle-aged woman with curly blonde hair. Her lips were full and blossoming with red lipstick. Cho looked at her with big eyes, not knowing that the lady was referring Monica to her. "Draco is waiting for you inside, old dear boy's been looking for you all morning." Mrs. Malfoy said with a pleasant tone. "This is the Malfoy manor?! What have I gotten myself into?" Cho thought to herself angrily. 


	3. What just happened?

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^^ ~^~~~~^~  
  
HpFan, aZnGurLY02, and Harry n Cho 4eva: Thank you so much for reading my ff. Even though not many people are reading this, I'm still grateful for your reviews! ^__^  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~  
  
Cho was pulled into a hallway with fancy chandeliers hanging on the dome- shaped ceiling. Mosaic glass windows laid deep within the walls five feet high. On each side of the corridors were candles flew magically by itself. Cho and Mrs. Malfoy stopped in front of chubby house-elf, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Lola at your service, master." The round-eyed little thing said in a low tone. "Give Miss Monica a good clean bath and get her a pair of better outfits! Ugh. Monica dear, I know you have better taste than that!"  
  
With that, Mrs. Malfoy flung around in a style Draco flung himself and walked away. Mrs. Malfoy symbolize much like Draco, the attitude, the appearance, everything except that she was more feminine (of course). Lola reached her hand out to Cho, "Please follow me, Miss Monica Rougan." Cho didn't know what to say. For the first twenty minutes, Lola gave Cho a harsh scrub. "Miss Rougan, last night when I bathed you, you were not this dirty, it almost seem like you're not a lady." Lola commented. Cho looked offended and said, "Are you saying I'm no lady?" "I'm very sorry, Miss Rougan." Lola's watery eyes looked at Cho, and then she tried to drown herself in the water Cho was bathing in.  
  
"No, no, don't do that. It won't do anything." Cho said worriedly. Lola finally stopped and went outside to get something. She came back with a whip and handed it to Cho. "What's this for?" Cho looked confused. "Miss Rougan," Lola began hesitantly. "It is for you to punish me with, like how you always do." Realizing that she was complaining a bit, Lola started drowning herself again. Cho got up and stopped Lola dead. "What does this horrible woman do to you?" Lola looked at Cho with that what-are-you- talking-about stare.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and in came no other than Draco. He stared at Cho from head to toe, smirking. Cho quickly covered her naked body with a towel, not long enough her back. "What do you think you're doing?!" Cho screamed.  
  
"Stop acting, mother's not here. Not like I'm interested in you anyway. I know very well where you have been the last few weeks. Now you be a good lady and marry me like how our parents have compromised. Whatever you do afterwards will be solemnly up to you. You know very well I don't lay my hands on scarlet women like you." Draco said disgustedly.  
  
Draco was rather taken back that Cho was giving no response and looking dumbfound. "You listen here! Monica Rougan! You be a good Mrs. Malfoy in front of the public and I won't bloody care if you go shagging that Tomson of yours as long as you don't let anyone know." Cho get it all now. Monica Rougan, the girl she was in the form of, was Draco's fiancée by force. This Monica girl is cheating on Draco but he doesn't care because he simply didn't love her. Draco turned around and left Cho all by herself with Lola. "Miss Rougan, it's time to get dressed."  
  
Cho realized that her hair was turning back to black. She turned to the exit and tried to run when Mr. Malfoy grabbed her by the arm. "Who are you?!" Lucius roared. The echo of the provoked master thundered through the hall. Minutes later, Draco and Mrs. Malfoy were by Lucius sides while the house-elves were looking and hiding at the same time.  
  
"Chang, Cho Chang." Draco said. "Didn't know you have the guts to portray my lovely fiancée." He added in a fake way. "What have you done with Monica?" Mrs. Malfoy screamed with her high-pitched voice. "I think we'll find out." Lucius said dryly. He ordered one of the house-elves to bring him a goblet of gooey liquid. He squeezed Cho's mouth forcefully and forced the liquid down her throat. He threw her to the ground for her to completely consume the liquid.  
  
"What was that?" Cho said, shaking from the shock. "Why are you here?" Lucius asked coolly. Cho didn't want to say anything but it slipped out of her mouth. "I didn't want to be here, I passed by here and Mrs. Malfoy dragged me in." "Why do you look like Monica?" "I used the polyjuice potion for fun." "Are you trying to sneak in here for no good?" "No, was only playing around with the potion." Lucius grunted, he seemed to want to find an excuse to punish Cho; but since Mrs. Malfoy forced her in, there was nothing he could do.  
  
"What did you do to Monica?" Lucius said irritatedly. "I didn't do anything to her. She went to the Leaky Cauldron to do some dirty things with this bloke." Lucius's eyes opened as wide as a full moon at Cho's words. He hollererd, "Repeat that! You silly girl!" "I didn't do anything to her. She went to the Leaky Cauldron to do some dirty things with this bloke." Cho covered her mouth and scolded to herself for saying these words involuntarily. With that, Lucius disapparated.  
  
Mrs. Malfoy looked like she was about to faint. "Mother, you better get some rest, I'll take care of this." Draco gripped onto Cho's arms really hard and kicked her out of the door. "If I hear one word from you of what I said to you at the bath, I will hex you!" Cho was angry, but on her way home, she processed what just happened.  
  
A/N: Er. sorry if this is too short.-____-" 


	4. Deeper understanding

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
aZnGurLY02: Thank you so much for being here to read my ff! ^___^ For you, I will continue posting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
The night was a serene one. Cho sat on the swing tied to the oak tree and hummed to herself softly. But the girl was disturbed by a loud thump on the ground coming from the yard of the Malfoy manor. Cho hesitated to go towards the direction of the source, but her curiosity has pushed her on.  
  
She found a secret passage through the bushes and swiftly, but stealthily, found her way towards a figure lying on the floor. Before Cho walked towards the creature, she saw a green light coming from the windows of the notorious mansion of the block. Cho figured she shouldn't meddle into more of the Malfoy business than she already did.  
  
The body of the mysterious person stirred a bit to reveal a bright gleam of blond hair under the moon. Cho walked closer towards the drunken fellow to make sure he/she was alright. When she realized that the person was none other than Draco Malfoy, she turned back to go home. Out of nowhere, Draco reached out his arm and grabbed onto Cho's leg.  
  
Cho tripped from the great force exerted on her. "What in heaven's name! What have I done to ever deserve this?" Cho grunted and shook her leg violently to make Draco get off. "Let go, you git!"  
  
Draco loosened his grip and turned around. Cho, who has always been soft- hearted, kneeled down beside Draco to see what's wrong. "Er. is everything alright?" Cho asked, concerned.  
  
"It's none of your bloody business, go back to your perfect life!" Cho could tell Draco was snickering when he said that. Knowing better than to back down at an argument picked up by Draco, Cho said offensively, "I wasn't the dern guy who pulled on my leg and wouldn't let go, you dimwit!"  
  
Draco turned around to reveal his shimmering gray eyes, half sad and half angry. "Then why don't you go now?! Go, go! No one in this bloody world bloody cares about me anyways! Like anyone has ever loved me. For heaven's sake, I don't even have true friends."  
  
Cho didn't quite get what Draco was saying, but she said sympathetically, "You know, if you were nicer, you would have lots of friends."  
  
"You think I've never tried? You think I can?!" Draco shouted, now getting up from the grass.  
  
"You don't have to yell at me! Besides, anyone can be nice, if you've tried harder, maybe, just maybe, you'll have some friends!" Cho screamed back.  
  
"You don't know how my life is like." Draco said dryly.  
  
"No, I don't, and I don't think I will ever do because you don't share you bloody life with anyone. You isolate yourself from good people by mocking them! So until you tell me about you darn life, I wouldn't know!" Cho almost screamed.  
  
Draco stared at the half-angry Cho for a while and then started. "You want to know about my life, Chang? Well, I'll tell you, it's nothing like your perfect little Ravenclaw life. Being a Malfoy, I should not associate with anyone. All my friends should be from the Slytherin house, and they must be mean, nasty ones. People who are related to my father's friends! I can't even choose my own friends. You think I like hanging around those two pea brains, Crappy Crabe and Ugly Goyle?!"  
  
Cho was speechless, she could only stare. Crickets' chirpings were the only sounds in the night for a long time until Cho broke the silence. "I don't have a perfect life. I just learnt to deal with it. Optimism is really the key point to achieving a happy life. My parents aren't richer than the Weasleys very much, but I'm proud to say I've got one heck of a family. My friends only hang around me because they think I would bring them to cute boys, but I learnt that if I see them as friends, everything will be alright."  
  
"You think it's so easy, Chang, don't you? I'm not like you, I can't live a day without luxurious food and housing. If friends betray me, I would take revenge."  
  
"You'll learn, you will." Cho answered, not with sympathy nor anger. "You'll still have loved-ones around."  
  
"What loved-ones? My father who busies himself at his own affairs everyday and doesn't take me into account. Or my over-hyperactive mother who is too busy with her social life to care for me? Or my fiancée who's out there screwing another man? Not that it's happening anymore, she's not around." Draco snickered at that.  
  
"Did you. Monica. I mean." Cho could only say.  
  
"It serves her right, it's bad enough our marriage will be a fraud, but she has to bring shame to his future-family." Draco said in a matter-of-factly tone  
  
Cho stared at the standing Draco, realizing how handsome and fit he is. "Have you ever loved anyone though?"  
  
"What?" Draco seemed surprised.  
  
"You know what I mean, have you ever fallen in love?" Cho said, more curious than ever.  
  
"Why would you care?"  
  
"Believe me, I don't care about you, I just want to know. If you don't want to talk about it, I'll just go." Cho was about to get up and leave.  
  
"Once, I did once. But she didn't love me." Draco said with a shaky tone. 


	5. Will truth be told?

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
CuTe n' CrAzY : Thanks for reading and reviewing. Readers like you make my day. ^__^  
  
aZnGurL02: Yeah! I wrote more. I was really kind of tired and didn't want to write, but I figured I should because you were my only loyal reader and you were there the whole time. Thanks. \(^_^)/  
  
nunce: Yeah, I know, poor Draco. Maybe it'll get all better, maybe it won't. Hehe.  
Cho looked at Draco uncomfortably, not expecting Draco to respond to her in the first place. The nice, clean night air all of a sudden turned very stuffy to Cho.  
  
"Who was she?" Cho gulped.  
  
Draco looked at the furthest willow tree by his pond under the moonlit beam.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~  
  
"I'll be back very soon, you'll stay here in the Leaky Cauldron." Draco said, showing off a smile no one in Hogwarts has ever seen.  
  
"Yes." The shadowy figure said and moved towards Draco to give him a light peck on the lips.  
  
The door of room 201 closed behind Draco as he walked downstairs.  
  
A few minutes later, a man about 6 feet tall in height knocked on the door of 201.  
  
Draco walked down the Diagon Alley to find a jewelry shop. On top of the shop was an ancient sign that reads "Fieldlander's Shop for Jewelries of All Occasions." Draco took a deep breath and walked in. "Today is the day I will propose to her. I don't care what mum and dad think, I will marry her!" After a while, Draco walked out with a vicious smile on his face and began to walk back to the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Walking up the stairs to his room, he heard squeaking noises from room 201. Draco slowly inserted his key into the keyhole.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*  
  
"You don't look very well, Draco." Cho asked concernedly.  
  
"I'm fine!" Draco answered grumpily. The memories that flooded back to him was all too much. Without further words, he walked away swiftly.  
  
"Typical Malfoy." Cho muttered under her breath.  
  
That night, Cho had a great sleep, she can't remember the last time she's had slept so well. Naturally, she woke up to find Rhea, hooting joyfully. "Oh boy! A letter from mum and dad!" Cho grabbed the letter from Rhea and read it carefully line by line. Rhea seemed to be irritated for not getting any attention.  
  
Cho picked up Rhea and spin her around a few times. "I can't believe it! Mum and dad are coming home in two days! I am so happy. I thought I wouldn't be able to spend the summer with them. But, I get to spend the last weekend with them! This is such a sweet day!" Cho shouted in joy. "Nothing could ruin my day today, not even Draco Malfoy." With that, Cho got dressed and ran down towards the dining room.  
  
"Aunt Elsie! Aunt Elsie!" Cho shouted.  
  
"What is it? My sweet?" Aunt Elsie said lovably.  
  
"Mum will be coming to pick me up in two days!" Cho hugged Aunt Elsie while she said that.  
  
"Oh yes, my dear, I've got a letter too." Aunt Elsie pointed to a parchment on the dining table. "Go on outside, sweets, I'll call you in when breakfast is ready."  
  
Cho ran towards the garden and found the day bright and happy, as if welcoming her to the morning. She quickly ran back in and grabbed her Comet 260. What's a good day without flying after all?  
  
Cho mounted the broom and sped up towards the sky. A swish of forest green zoomed by her and Cho almost fell off the broom. "Hey! What was that?" Cho looked in the direction of the source.  
  
"Such a pity to see you in the morning as beautiful as this." Draco sneered.  
  
Not allowing Draco to ruin her day, Cho said, "Good morrow to you too."  
  
"What's wrong, can't take up an insult?" Draco taunted.  
  
"I am too happy of a mood to get angry." Cho sped away.  
  
Draco caught up with her and said, "You know what I hate, girls with black hair. Girls with dark eyes and black hair like you. Petite girls with black hair and dark eyes like you."  
  
"I would care less." Cho was flying down to get off the broom. "By the way, I won't see you in quite a while. So bleh." Cho made a face at Draco.  
  
"The next time I see you, you would be in so much suffering!" Draco shouted.  
  
"Right, and you will suffer with me, except you won't know it." Cho laughed.  
  
The last weekend Cho spend with her parents was the greatest time she's had in the entire summer. She get to taste her mum's delicious Chinese food and get to go fishing with her dad, a muggle sport she and her dad enjoy doing together.  
  
The night before school starts, Cho had a nightmare. 


	6. I do care and I do love

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
*Yeah. grammar and spelling are quite bad from time to time because I kind of too lazy to spell and grammar check them.*  
  
NyteChild89: Glad you like my fanfic. ^__^  
  
Harry n Cho 4eva: Keep on reading and I will keep on writing.  
Maybe it wasn't a nightmare, but it sure seemed like one to Cho.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cho was staring at the mirror, awed at how beautiful she looked in white. Cressida rushed into the door with a nervous look.  
  
"Cho! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it! There are so many people out there, so much to do and so little time," Cressida paced back and forth while biting on her finger nails. "Not to worry, Cho, I've got it all planned out, you see, you're going to walk out there and everything is going to be fine! It is so wonderful, in fact this place is wonderful, you are gorgeous, the groom is handsome, everything is perfect. So not to worry."  
  
Cho wanted to say something but it seemed like her muscles are just not responding. She simply made an involuntary smile. Cressida walked over to Cho and examined her from head to toe. "You look ever so lovely in this wedding gown. I can't believe it's your wedding already. I mean a year ago, you and him were so, I don't know, awkward, now look are you, so much in love!" Cressida held Cho's hands and almost cried, in a happy way of course.  
  
Once again, Cho wanted to speak but couldn't. She wondered what was going on. Cho looked at the mirror again at her wedding gown, it was a beautiful snowy white, with patterns of beautiful flowers on the dress. Her head piece swept the floor lightly and her hair was tied up in a loose bun, dangling some curly hair. Her lips were a rosy pink and her smile just wouldn't get off of her face.  
  
Cho's mother came into the door and said, "it's time, come now dear, everyone is so anxious. Cressida, do what a maid of honour should do now." With that, she left.  
  
Cressida covered Cho's face with her head piece and led her to a church chamber. The church was decorated with fine-looking flowers and blue and green silk banners were hanging from the ceiling. The church was charmed to give off a night misty feeling, but the atmosphere seemed so mysterious yet cheerful.  
  
Cho walked down the aisle anxiously, wondering who her groom was. Her heart was beating so fast until she saw Draco Malfoy. "What in the world?" Cho was wondering, but the smile on her face was still there, as if Draco Malfoy was her prince charming. "This can't be happening, why ain't I running away? This must be a dream! No, a nightmare!"  
  
Cho woke up sweating. She quickly got into the shower and tried to clear her thoughts. "That was simply a nightmare, nothing more." Cho chimed to herself while brushing her teeth and combing her hair.  
  
She got dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a navy blue blouse. Everything was packed the night before so she didn't have to bother putting her school books and everything else into the Hogwarts trunk.  
  
Cho arrived at the King's Cross Station and said farewell to her dad and mum. Her dad hugged her so tightly that Cho almost couldn't breathe, she was also showered with kisses from her mother. Finally, she broke away and disappeared into the wall between platform nine and platform ten.  
  
Cho settled her trunk and Rhea down and got herself into a compartment. She didn't bother looking for her friends because sooner or later they would find her. Cho was reading a book peacefully until the compartment door slid open and in came Draco and his two beast-like companions.  
  
Draco snickered, "Get out of here, Chang, we can't find a compartment so you'll just have to go."  
  
Cho sat looking at Draco fiercely. "And give me one good reason why I should listen to you."  
  
Crabbe and Goyle laughed, which got Draco extremely angry. "Because I will." Draco sneered, "feed you to Crabbe and Goyle. Hearing this, both oversized boys showed an oblivious look, as usual. Cho raised one eyebrow and gave a taunting laugh, "and how are you going to accomplish that, Malfoy?"  
  
Draco sneered and said, "Well, let's say, Crabbe and Goyle do get excited sometimes and let's say when they do, they are capable of unimaginable things."  
  
"Are you proposing that they will get on top of me and do it?" Cho laughed. She stopped when Draco slammed the compartment door shut. "I think I will enjoy seeing you, Miss Perfect being played by my hideous sidekicks," Draco gave a carefree laugh.  
  
Cho's heart is beating really fast. "What should I do? He seems serious." Crabbe and Goyle smiled dumbfounded to be granted by their master of the trio to lay their hands on such a beautiful girl. Cho was so scared that she bleeped out shakily, "I used to think that no one liked you because you were so darn right nasty. Now I know that no one loves you because you don't care for them, not to mention love." Draco was struck dumb with what Cho said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Draco opened the door to room 201. Draco's greatest fear came true. On his bed was his girlfriend, the one he was about to propose to, and accompanying her is a man, naked under the bed sheets. "How could you?!" Draco screamed, face changing different shades of violent red.  
  
The girl got up to dress casually, and buttoning the man's shirt. Draco was so angry that he couldn't get a response out of her. He punched the guy hard on the face. The man got up to show a I'm-going-to-kill-you face. The girl got in between them and shouted at Draco's face, "I never loved you, you git! You know why I was with you? Your money! Your bloody money and the fame I could get. But once I heard that you wanted to leave your family so you could be with me, I decided that I should leave. Well, there you have it! You're a bloody bum without your parents and to think I would be with you without your money, you've got to be joking!"  
  
Draco didn't say anything, he was in mixed emotion, between sadness and anger. This confusion caused him to give an ignorant look. The girl passed by him in a relaxed way, holding the other man's hands. Before she closed the door, she said coldly, "You know why I never loved you? Because you don't care for me, not to mention love." After the door shut, Draco shouted in pain, "NO!!!" A tear streamed down Draco's face and landed on the ring he was holding. "I did love you, I did care for you." Draco whispered, but no one was there to hear it. The cold echo bounced within the room and left the poor Draco lying the floor, hopeless.  
  
That was the last time Draco saw those almond-shaped dark eyes with that long, straight ebony hair to match. Her petite figure was no longer there by Draco's side when he wakes up in the morning. He was so angry at her. He hated her for leaving him, for sleeping with another man, and for hurting him so much.  
  
"Let go of her!" Draco roared at Crabbe and Goyle. He rushed towards Cho and grabbed her collar tightly, looking into Cho's dark eyes brutally. "Don't you ever! And I mean ever say that to me again!" Draco threw Cho out of her compartment and threw her book out, which landed right on her head.  
  
"Ugh! Bloody git!" Cho said, much to herself. 


	7. Not so Draco anymore

Disclaimer: The following characters in this fanfic is not owned by me. The copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is a strictly made-up story.  
  
NyteChild89: Thanks for reviewing. Your review means a lot to me. (  
  
hI!: I guess I could explain this to you as I would not explain this later in the story. The girl who cheated on Draco is not Cho. She just has black hair and dark brown eyes like Cho. Remember in the previous chapters when Draco said he hated girls with brown eyes and black hair and a petite figure? Well, this girl is the reason. Thanks for reviewing. ^_^  
The first week in Hogwarts was the same old thing as the previous year, except that this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is none other than Snape. Snape had always wanted to be in the position of being the DADA teacher, now he got his wish. Potions had been replaced by Fleur Delacour, the French veela who gets attention more from her beauty than from her teachings. This year was Cho's last year, so she stressed much in her tests and getting ready for her job in the future.  
  
Cho was so thankful when the week was over. On the other hand, she was also grateful that she hasn't seen Draco since that last encounter on the train. Her curiosity does bring her to wonder "what happened to Draco?" Cho walked out of her last class of the day, Divination, and was cursing Professor Trelawney under her breath. "That old bat never gets enough in predicting awful things, does she?" Cressida appeared next to Cho and nodded in agreement. "I dare say she needs a husband to control her ridiculous thoughts." The girls both laughed at this.  
  
As it is Friday, students get excited for the weekend arrival, this is especially true for Cho. She pointed amusedly at Pansy Parkinson, the bulldog-face Slytherin, as she was rushing in the direction of the Hospital Wing. Cressida giggled at the sight of Pansy. "Wonder where she's going. If she's going to Madame Pomfrey so she could fix her hideous appearance, she's wrong," Cressida started laughing. "Cressida, that's not nice," Cho nudged Cressida in the elbow in disagreement. "What? Not like she's very nice to you and all. I say she deserves some insults!" Cressida defended herself. "Hush, you, she's coming this way."  
  
Pansy seemed to catch the sight of Cho and the giggling Cressida. She stopped and gave both Ravenclaw girls a dirty look. Cressida returned one just as nasty. "Going to the Hospital Wing to get your face fixed, Ugly Parkinson?" Cressida sneered as she said. "I have no need for such a thing as you, thank you very much. In fact, I'm meeting my lovely Dracie." Cho stared at Pansy dumbfounded. "Is that where he was for the entire week?" Cho asked in curiosity. "Yes, since the day school started, not that it concerns you in any way, Chang," Pansy said the name in disgust.  
  
"C'mon, Cho, we don't need to be here at this wonderful time of the week with this dog-face." Cressida dragged Cho out of the uncomfortable scene. "I wonder what's wrong with Malfoy," Cho said casually to Cressida. "Not that I care. Why? Do you?" Cressida said in a teasing tone. "No! Never! Not that prat who caused that bruise on my head on the train!" Cho got a bit offended at Cressida's tease. "Yes, yes, it's in your nature to care for people, even the worst sort of people." Cressida stated simply and together, Cho and Cressida got ready for dinner.  
  
After dinner, Cressida and Cho walked up the stairs to the Ravenclaw Common room. Unfortunately, on their way, Cressida tripped over the big steps and twisted her ankle. "Cressida? Are you alright? Let's go to the Hospital Wing." Than Cho picked Cressida up gently and led her to Madame Pomfrey.  
  
Madame Pomfrey was not very pleased to see Cressida as it is barely the first week of school and already, there are people getting hurt. She made a lecture about being more careful around school to Cressida while Cho looked around in bemusement. It wasn't as if it was the first time Cho was here, but it always makes her feel kind of interested not being the one getting hurt and being in the Hospital Wing at the same time. Madame Pomfrey brought Cressida into another room and ordered Cho to stay at where she is at.  
  
Naturally, Cho, being inquisitive as she is, would not listen to Madame Pomfrey. She went into the chamber of where patients rested. The only person in there was a blonde-haired boy. Cho immediately knew who it was. "Hm... Draco?" Cho asked concernedly.  
  
The figure turned around immediately to greet Cho. "Why, hello there. Who are chu? Are chu one of mah friends?" Draco said in a happy tone. Cho, taken back by Draco's friendly tone, walked closer to examine if the person was indeed Draco. She laid her hand on top of Draco's forehead to see if he was running a high fever.  
  
"Are you sick?" Cho asked. "Why no! I'se neva betta!" Draco said, in a retarded way. Cho can't help but notice how dim-witted Draco sounded in his tone of voice. In fact, he jumped up off of his bed and hopped towards Cho. It obviously didn't seem like the Draco Cho knew.  
  
Cho freed herself from Draco's grasp in case this was another sick joke Draco was playing on her. "I don't know what you're playing at, Malfoy. But this is certainly not funny. It does not amuse me in any way." Cho said, a bit scared.  
  
"Why, I dun know wat chu are talkin' about." Draco stared at Cho with an innocent stare, one that no one could find any Malfoys giving out. Draco fiddled with a lock of Cho's hair and stared at it for quite a while.  
  
Madame Pomfrey came into the room and said angrily, "Cho Chang, didn't I tell you to stay outside in the waiting room?" Cho spun around to meet eye in eye with the angry nurse. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I was just looking around, and I. . . found him. . ." Cho pointed at Draco. "Yes, I guess you should have figured it by now. He's turned retarded." Cho looked at Madame Pomfrey as if she was a creature from another planet. "You can fix it, can you?" Cho thought the serious nurse was simply joking. "Never had I encountered such a case. He was found in this state when his friends found him in the compartment after they went to get some food from the trolley lady."  
  
Cho is now looking at the dumb Draco. Never again would this boy be able to insult anyone or put anyone down and make them feel bad. But at the same time, Draco's future would be ruined. Cho, at this moment, doesn't know whether she's happy or sad even if Draco was not her friend.  
A/N: Wow, this story is progressing slower than I thought. But don't worry, I'll get to the good part soon, hopefully. O__O'' Well, anyways, readers please review! It would be greatly appreciated. Hmm. watch for foreshadowing. once again, thanks to the people who have reviewed my story. Here's a cookie for each of you! ^__^ *passes out cookies.* 


	8. Unwanted whispers

A/N: Wow, it has been a while since I¡¦ve written. When I got better from being sick, I was kind of idle. Even if I wanted to take a long vacation, I just can¡¦t leave this fanfic hanging. Yeah, I¡¦ve got loads of homework assignments, exams, and projects to do over the past month. Nevertheless, I will keep on writing because I¡¦ve got some supporters out there and I want to thank you all.

Gosh darn it, I can¡¦t login to my screen name at my own computer. So I¡¦m at my friend¡¦s house to post this. I decided that I cannot delay this any longer because I feel extremely bad for not posting for about a month. I¡¦m so sorry people. There were lots to do and I was sick for quite a while. It¡¦s probably going to be a while before I post again, or at least until I figure out why I can¡¦t login to any of my accounts on my computer. But if it does take too long, I¡¦m going to go to my friend¡¦s house again to post. -____-¡¨

I want to give a big ¡§thankee¡¨ to all the readers and reviewers, Here are some cookies for each of you. ^__^

NyteChild89: Yeah I know, Draco¡¦s retarded now. . . -___-¡¨ But, you¡¦ll find out what will happen to him. Hint hint, death! Haha, just kidding. But I¡¦m not saying anything.

DragonSweetie13: You¡¦re a curious one, my young grasshopper. Hehe :P Yes, the only way to answer all your questions is to read on. ^__^

Barriss: Now I¡¦ve updated. Hehe Thanks for showing me you¡¦re reading.

Aya Natsume: I know, what would become of Draco without his sneers and evil remarks? Haha

writer007: once again, I want to thank you for telling me how to do the italic things.

sakura-08: I¡¦m glad you like this story. I¡¦m sorry I haven¡¦t updated sooner, but better now than never. :P Yeah, now I¡¦m updated. Thanks for reviewing.

FelSong: Yeah, I¡¦ll take your advice. Sorry, I haven¡¦t been on for a while so I wasn¡¦t able to read your fanfic since you¡¦ve posted. But I¡¦ll read it now.

chang: aww... you¡¦re so sweet. You¡¦re the only one who wished me well. Thank you for saying that and thanks a whole lot for reviewing. 

Yue Ann: Hmm. . . Maybe I just wrote something I didn¡¦t quite mean (about the Chinese part). Don¡¦t get me wrong, but I¡¦m not stereotypical about Chinese. Hm... if you read on a bit, maybe you¡¦ll see me describe Cho a bit more, yeah. . . Yes, Harry Potter is a typical boy, and I didn¡¦t state that he isn¡¦t. I simply said he was famous, which is really the fact. Since you¡¦ve corrected me sentence by sentence, it¡¦s only natural that I would do it too. You said, ¡§And another thing, Harry Potter isn't *that* different from the other boys. He wants to be like everyone else.¡¨ Just because he wants to be ¡§like everyone else¡¨ doesn¡¦t mean he ¡§isn¡¦t *that* different from the other boys.¡¨ Judging from how you put your words together, you seemed to think all boys are alike. O___o Just because a person wants to ace a test doesn¡¦t mean he/she WILL ace it. It may be that you think it¡¦s not special if Mr. Harry Potter likes you, but it certainly is to Cho, at least I am making her to feel special. I¡¦m sorry, I¡¦ve just got to defend myself sometimes. Besides, it just seems like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and got your pants all rolled up in a bunch, so you decided to find a fanfic that you would like to pick on. It¡¦s weird to find someone to exert a passage and started picking out every single little mistake she could find, err. . . I don¡¦t know about you, but it doesn¡¦t seem to me like a constructive criticism. Your simply disapproving everything I have written. You need to ease up a bit. . . However, I will be careful of what I write in the future due to your warning about how I get stereotypical, which I certainly am not.

CHO: Hehe, I¡¦ve finally updated. Thanks for reviewing. 

cho: Thanks for encouraging me to continue writing. ^__^ Well, I¡¦ve finally updated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was certainly very hard for Cho to forget about the incident with Draco at the hospital wing since last week. Evil whispers concerning the youngest member of the Malfoy had not stopped since the day a strange man had stormed into the Great Hall. Cho could still smell the presence of the nasty head of that man and still have chills down her spine. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Cho recalls*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A flash on silvery blonde and black rushed through the hall after the door to the Great Hall was kicked open by someone or something, but Cho wasn¡¦t sure. She remembers smelling a nasty aroma of damp dirt, the ones she remembers smelling when she so often visit Cedric¡¦s grave in the summer. Cho didn¡¦t fancy the smell much as it carries with it death and all sorts of evil things according to Cho.

In a glimpse of second, a six feet tall man with shoulder length blonde hair stood in front of Dumbledore panting angrily like a mad dog. Everyone including the usually loud twins, Fred and George, stopped doing whatever they were doing to stare in the direction of where the strange man now stood. 

Dumbledore¡¦s wise, glowing eyes had certainly noticed the awkward stares that are looking in his direction and ordered nicely for everyone to get back to their dinner. Ignoring what the old headmaster was trying to do, the strange man wrapped his cloak around him much like how Snape does to show that he was not approved of Dumbledore¡¦s behavior. Indeed the man was right about what Dumbledore was trying to do. The tall headmaster was trying to shift the strange man¡¦s attention to something else as if wanting to avoid something.

Cho, nevertheless, was too curious to turn her head back to her food. She continued looking at the tall man. There was something about him that reminds her of someone. The question is _Who__ is it?_

Dumbledore stared at Cho¡¦s direction for a while, knowing that Cho should not be doing what she is now. But, he did not say anything. 

¡§What happened to my son?!¡¨ the strange man roared. 

Once again, everyone was silenced. Dumbledore stared sadly at the man, ¡§May we talk about this in my office please, Mr. Malfoy?¡¨ 

¡§That¡¦s it! It¡¦s Lucius Malfoy! How could I miss that hair and that attitude?¡¨ Cho said in her head.

¡§I demand to know what happened?! Why are you afraid they¡¦re going to know what you have done? What this good-for-nothing school has done?!¡¨ Lucius yelled accusingly while pointing at the students.

¡§Mr. Malfoy, please do not scream so loud, as it will disturb the student¡¦s moods. I do say I¡¦m very sorry for what had happened, but please, I dare say Hogwarts had not meant for this to happen. Again, I ask you to step into my office so we could discuss this.¡¨ Dumbledore added with a smile.

¡§Rubbish! When my son boarded on the train, he was fine! For some sort of odd reason, and I am positive is Hogwarts¡¦s fault, my son got off the train retarded! How does that sound to a Malfoy? I tell you it¡¦s plain ridiculous, and you are here to tell me to calm down. The Malfoy tradition will not be able to go on, I will be shamed, the family will be shamed, and I can never lift up my head again!¡¨ Lucius¡¦s face now glowed a violent red, and his hair seemed to shake at his every force put into some words.

Dumbledore seemed to have enough with the startle Lucius had caused. So he got off his great seat and walked gently to Lucius and directed him quietly out of the Great Hall.

Cho already knew about Draco. She did not quite feel as pitiful for Draco until now. 

¡§How could his father be so insensitive as to think of himself only at a crisis such as this?¡¨ Cho thought angrily to herself. 

After Dumbledore and Lucius had left, the students began to speak up again. Some Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors seemed to be cheering for Draco¡¦s retardedness. Fred and George¡¦s were the loudest cheers amongst them. Cho stared in the direction of Draco¡¦s friends and was shocked to find Crabbe and Goyle stuffing themselves with any food they found on the table. Pansy Parkinson was busy flirting with Terrence Higgs. 

¡§Some friends he¡¦s got. . . I think I¡¦m beginning to understand. . .¡¨ Cho thought sadly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~End of Memory*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

¡§Oh boy, did you see him?¡¨ Fred entered the Great Hall laughing loudly.

¡§How could I miss it?¡¨ George ran to the Gryffindor table and stood on top of it. ¡§He looked so dumb. You all should of seen, he looked like this.¡¨ George made a retarded face to his classmates.

Everyone was so interested at what George and Fred were doing that they all crowded around the red-headed twins. 

¡§Are you talking about. . .¡¨ Neville stuttered.

¡§Draco Malfoy?¡¨ Seamus finished the sentence for Neville.

¡§Of course, who else could we be talking about?¡¨ Fred said with amusement.

¡§You should see how pathetic he is, he couldn¡¦t even say his name right.¡¨ George laughed and made a poor imitation of Draco. ¡§Drah-coy.¡¨ 

With that, everyone in the crowd thundered with laughter.

¡§What were you doing up in the hospital wing anyways?¡¨ One person shouted out.

¡§George and I surely can¡¦t miss such a thing as to see Draco in his miserable form, of course. Besides, we won¡¦t get a chance when that big Malfoy comes back and decides to finally move him away.¡¨ One of the twins said.

¡§Is he really retarded?¡¨ Ginny spoke shyly.

¡§Couldn¡¦t be more true, little sis.¡¨ Fred said nodding with amusement.

With that, the crowd ooohhhed and ahhhed. Cho walked into the crowd to face Fred and George. 

¡§Don¡¦t you find it a bit sad to be teasing him?¡¨ Cho said.

Everyone looked in Cho¡¦s direction as if she was insane for what she just said. 

¡§Not at all.¡¨ One of the twins said.

¡§He deserves it. Am I right, lot?¡¨ the other twin said while the crowd nodded.

¡§Enough! I think you all should just get back to your business and stop meddling into other¡¦s. It¡¦s sad enough he¡¦s got such an awful life!¡¨ Cho said furiously. 

The crowd looked at Cho awkwardly once again. However, they dispersed anyway thinking Cho is a party-pooper. Whatever Cho did did not stop them from continuing their horrible whispers about Draco. 

Cho couldn¡¦t stand it anymore, so she decided to walk outside to breathe some fresh air. She doesn¡¦t know why she should fret over all of these, but she is.

Before Cho reached the door, Professor Flitwick encountered Cho.

¡§I believe Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Malfoy will be needing you at this moment. I believe your parents are there too, Miss Chang.¡¨ Professor Flitwick looked up at Cho.

¡§Is something the matter, Professor Flitwick?¡¨ Cho questioned worriedly.

¡§I believe not. It is only my job to inform you that they are needing you, I know nothing more.¡¨ Professor Flitwick said with a smile and started to lead Cho up to the infirmary.

The walk to Dumbledore¡¦s office seemed to have lasted for years. There were so many questions flying inside Cho¡¦s head right now. ¡§Did she do something wrong?¡¨


	9. The hard decision

A/N: Yay, I could log in again! I am so happy, I¡¦m just going to post another story.

HpManiac: Looks like I¡¦m posting now. ^__^¡¦¡¦

ClenchYourThirst: Thank you for reading. By the way, thanks for defending me in my songfic. 

Cho-kzs2: Why thank you for caring for my well-being. Here¡¦s a special cookie for you. ^__^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Professor Flitwick stopped in front of a great door and spoke the password, loud enough for only himself to hear. Nevertheless, the door opened and Cho walked into the infirmary. Bewildered at how interesting everything is like in the office, Cho couldn¡¦t help but touch one of the globes, which started turning by itself. 

Out of nowhere, Dumbledore appeared. 

¡§Hello, Cho,¡¨ Dumbledore greeted Cho with a friedly smile.

¡§Good afternoon, Professor,¡¨ Cho replied respectively.

From the back office appeared two silvery blondes and Cho¡¦s parents.

¡§Mama, Baba!¡¨ Cho ran towards her parents with open arms. Together, she and her parents had a warm hug.

¡§A bit fanatical if you ask me,¡¨ the female blonde commented.

¡§Now now, Narcissa, don¡¦t be rude. You know how witches and wizards like them behave like,¡¨ Lucius said grinning nastily.

¡§What do you mean by that?¡¨ Mr. Chang stared daggers into the cold eyes of Lucius.

¡§I¡¦m afraid the meaning is up to the interpreter,¡¨ Lucius said.

¡§Please, I think we should settle down to business now that Miss Chang is here,¡¨ Dumbledore stare from the Malfoys to the Changs and stopped at Cho.

¡§Yes, I am curious to know why we are summoned here,¡¨ Mrs. Chang said holding onto Cho¡¦s arm softly. ¡§I hope there¡¦s nothing wrong with Cho.¡¨

¡§May, we¡¦ll know soon enough, just be patient.¡¨ Mr. Chang then caressed Mrs. Chang¡¦s arm.

The wise old wizard glanced over to the Malfoys while saying, ¡§I believe Mr. Malfoy and his wife have some business to present to you today. Would you care to take on?¡¨

¡§If you put it that way, I shalln¡¦t delay this any longer. You know about my son¡¦s condition, I presume,¡¨ Lucius gazed coldly into Cho¡¦s milky brown eyes. She gulped and nodded.

¡§Narcissa and I have decided over this matter for a long time. Since the day you trespassed into our manor and took in the form of Monica, Draco¡¦s ex-fiancee,¡¨ Lucius uttered the name of Monica angrily, ¡§you have learned much secrets of us, the Malfoys. Enough to get you in trouble.¡¨ The word trouble was especially emphasized.

Cho grabbed onto her father¡¦s cloak tightly and retreated behind his form.

¡§What Lucius is trying to say,¡¨ Narcissa clarified for her husband, ¡§is that it is right that Cho should take care of Draco.¡¨

Cho¡¦s eyes widened at Narcissa¡¦s statements. 

¡§You must be out of your minds! My daughter has no obligations to serve you Malfoys, never in this lifetime!¡¨ Mr. Chang shouted raged.

¡§Mr. Chang, please calm down. I¡¦m sure Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy will explain it. Please carry on, Mr. Malfoy,¡¨ Dumbledore said without emotions.

¡§Narcissa and I have decided that Cho should marry to our son to serve him permanently.¡¨

Cho couldn¡¦t believe what she was hearing. ¡§Me? Marrying that cold-blooded animal, poor excuse-for-a-boy of yours?! No way in this world would I marry him! You are insane to even propose this idea!¡¨ Cho got out behind her father and got closer to the Malfoys, getting angrier with each step.

¡§Silence, you girl! I presume you know that transfiguring into someone else, especially for an underage wizard, for no particular reason is a serious crime. With my reputation, I believe I could get you into Azkaban for pretending to be Monica,¡¨ the heart-of-a-stone Malfoy said.

Cho shivered at the thought of Azkaban. She was so afraid of being prisoned, yet so unwilling to listen to Lucius¡¦s command. _What is she to do? _Cho decided to fight back her fear and shouted, ¡§I rather be in... Azkaban then be with your son!¡¨

Mrs. Chang added supporting Cho, ¡§No daughter of mine will get involved with a Malfoy.¡¨

For hours, the Malfoys and the Changs screamed at each other while Dumbledore tried to calm each side.

¡§Fine then, I¡¦ll give you one day to decide what you would do and let you clear your mind and figure out that it is an honour to be married to a Malfoy,¡¨ Narcissa said heading to the door.

¡§We¡¦ll be back tomorrow. By then it is either prison or marriage,¡¨ Lucius turned around on his way out.

¡§Oh and by the way, I¡¦ve heard that your parents are in lots of debt. I know the wizards that they owe money are not the friendliest beings. They would do anything,¡¨ Lucius sneered, ¡§I hope you know that if you marry to our son, you will certainly be granted a wish. A little hint to you.¡¨ With that, Lucius left.

Cho shivered, then looked at her parents. ¡§Is it true? About what he said?¡¨

Mr. and Mrs. Chang kept silent.

¡§Is it true that you are in debts and that they would do unthinkable things to you?!¡¨ Cho said, raising her voice a bit, not in anger, but in disappointment.

¡§Oh, what am I saying? They¡¦ll be jailed if they think of touching your hair,¡¨ Cho tried to laugh off her silly idea, but Mr. and Mrs. Chang only sank lower in sorrow and showed their gloomy faces.

¡§It can¡¦t be. Professor Dumbledore, tell me it isn¡¦t so. That wizards hurting others will be jailed. Assure me that these wizards, that my parents are debt to won¡¦t do anything horrible to them!¡¨ Cho turned to Professor Dumbledore for reassurance.

¡§I¡¦m afraid I can¡¦t answer that Miss Chang. Why don¡¦t I leave you lot alone for a while to talk things over.¡¨ The door closed behind Dumbledore and he left that Changs there.

Cho collapsed onto the floor. A tear dropped from her almond-shaped eyes. No one could understand her feeling at this moment. She is caught up with deciding whether to marry Draco or not. If she doesn¡¦t marry Draco, she won¡¦t have to money to pay for her parents¡¦ debts. If she marries Draco, she¡¦ll be miserable.

¡§Cho dear...¡¨ Mrs. Chang¡¦s voice shook.

Cho got up and ran out of the infirmary and didn¡¦t stop until she reached outside of Hogwarts into the pouring rain. She tripped over a rock and landed in a big puddle of mud. To weak to shout or do anything but cry, Cho felt very vulnerable. 

_Why _was the only thought that was running inside Cho¡¦s head. Why must heaven be so cruel to her as to give her such a fate. Will she be enslaved to the Malfoys? Or does she have a choice?

¡§I won¡¦t let my parents suffer,¡¨ Cho sniffed and whispered to herself. She got up and looking miserable, walked to the Malfoys, who are in a guest chamber in Hogwarts.

She hesitated to knock on the door. She was seconds from making a decision that she thinks she will regret forever. Before she knew it, Narcissa opened the door to meet the wrecked Chinese girl. 

¡§I thought I heard someone at the door. So you¡¦ve decided,¡¨ Narcissa sneered, much like Draco.

¡§When will the marriage be held?¡¨ Cho could only say.

¡§That¡¦s the smart girl that you should be. Come in as there are much to discuss,¡¨ Narcissa tried to invite Cho into her room.

Cho slapped off Narcissa¡¦s hands and said dryly, ¡§You guarantee that you¡¦ll pay for my parents¡¦ debts?¡¨

¡§Yes, of course.¡¨

¡§Then owl me when the wedding is ready,¡¨ Cho walked away trying to conceal her tears. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	10. Morpheus's trick

A/N: Please accept my most sincere apology for not updating sooner. It¡¦s almost the end of school, and the teachers just figured that they won¡¦t see us anymore, so they decided to assign loads of work. I¡¦ve got enough homework to last me months... After school is over, I will update more often. Again, I am very sorry for this delay. 

aZnGurLY02: Thanks for asking me about my health, as this has been a month ago or so, I am feeling much much better, besides the fact that I am extremely stressed out about my homework. Anyhow, I am not guaranteeing that Cho will marry Draco. Who knows, it might not be successful... (teehee, I¡¦m so evil for making you guess) At this point, Draco is pretty much retarded... or is he? (here I go again with my tease)

grlEgrlE: aww why thank you. I¡¦m glad you like the idea of this story. Well, here¡¦s the update.

Deedsla the Insane Monkey: Wow, I am flattered that you took the time to review every single one of my chapter. Thank you so much for reviewing! ^_^

CHO: I¡¦M GLAD YOU LIKE THIS! I AM VERY HAPPY YOU LIKE MY FANFIC, I REALLY AM!!! SO CONTINUE REVIEWING PLEASE!!! (haha, I felt the energy of your message...though I should return you one as well... )

Gandella Raye: Yeah poor Cho... and Draco too, he does seem like the victim here, doesn¡¦t he?

Shirayuki: Why, thank you for liking this story. You made my day. The thing, I don¡¦t know what to say about Draco¡¦s retardation at this moment...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_Cho__ is sitting at a field under a big oak tree, surrounded by beds of flowers arrayed in a tremendous amount of colors. As she sat there making a crown of daisy flowers for herself, two strong hands covered her eyes._

_Cho__ touched the hand softly and immediately smiled. _

_¡§Don¡¦t you think it¡¦s a bit old, playing this trick on me all the time?¡¨ _

_No answer._

_¡§Very well,¡¨ Cho reached towards the wrist of the person¡¦s hand and started unclasping the heavy watch._

_¡§Hey! No fair! No stealing involve!¡¨ the stranger removed his hands and quickly clasped back the watch._

_Cho__ turned around to greet a pair of penetrating hazel eyes. Cho reached her hands toward the light brown hair of the boy and started jumbling it up._

_Laughing, the boy retaliated by tickling Cho¡¦s neck, her most sensitive part of her body. _

_¡§Alright!__ I give up, Cedric!¡¨ Cho panted and laid herself down among the flowers._

_¡§I thought so! No one beats Cedric!¡¨ Cedric¡¦s bright eyes twinkled as he shone a bright smile._

_¡§You beat me because I let you,¡¨ Cho whined a bit._

_As Cedric placed his head beside Cho¡¦s on the field of flowers, he whispered, ¡§Yes, no one can beat my princess...¡¨_

_As the couple¡¦s face slowly got closer, their lips met. Their passionate, sweet kiss lasted quite a while as if the only way to breathe was by kissing each other._

_¡§Oh, I miss you so much!¡¨ Cho said as she got up._

_¡§I¡¦m sorry, I¡¦m very busy with my N.E.W.T., you know this is my last year and I¡¦ve got to get ready for the world outside,¡¨ Cedric apologized._

_¡§I understand,¡¨ Cho started frowning at the thought of Cedric and her spending less time together._

_Trying to comfort his girlfriend, he made his way to Cho¡¦s neck and started kissing every region of her sensitive part._

_Making some very satisfying sound, Cho turned herself around and linked her arm around Cedric¡¦s neck._

_¡§You know I can never get mad at you, it¡¦s just...¡¨_

_Cedric hushed Cho up with another affectionate kiss._

_¡§Cho, you¡¦re the only one I ever loved and you know this will remain a lasting emotion. And you know well enough that I will never leave you,¡¨ Cedric cooed._

_Smiling, Cho pecked Cedric lightly on the lip._

_Cho__ and Cedric both fell asleep on the field. As a nearby squid splashed its tentacles against the surface of the lake, some water splashed on Cho¡¦s smooth, pale skin and woke her up. There¡¦s nothing better than to wake up on Cedric¡¦s broad, comforting chest. Cho, laid there a little longer, listening to Cedric¡¦s serene, slow heartbeat._

_The sky started to cloud up and thunders roared across the sky. Flowers wilted and the tree was gone. Cho and Cedric were no longer surrounded a scenery of lively objects, but instead, encircled among shrubs as high as seven feet. All Cho could see around her are blurs of dark blues and greens, all she can make out of them are people, wizards... _

_In front of Cho lay an unconscious, battered-up Cedric, a Cedric really different. Tears were forming behind her eyes and she can¡¦t help but feel frightened and sad. She placed her ears against Cedric¡¦s chest. The peaceful heartbeat was now replaced by nothing. No heartbeat at all..._

_Frightened by this situation, Cho tried to look around for reassurance to stop herself from thinking Cedric is..._

_¡§No! No! No! No! No!¡¨ Cho screamed a painful cry that echoed through the maze where Cedric laid in._

_¡§Cedric!__ You promised me, you will never leave me... Never... Never...¡¨ Cho repeated the word as the tears made their way down Cho¡¦s delicate cheeks. _

_A shadowy figure from behind pulled Cho away, but Cho fought her way to kneel beside Cedric. Cho took out her wand and chanted every spell she knew that could cure illnesses. None of them worked._

_Cho__ was once again pulled away from the body. As hard as Cho tried to free herself from the grasp, she could see that Cedric¡¦s body was becoming more distant as she moves away._

_Again, everything around Cho darkened and she turned around to see no one. No one at all. She¡¦s all alone in this world. With no Cedric. No love. Nothing. The emptiness in her heart could not be filled._

_When a pair of arm wrapped itself around Cho, Cho¡¦s heart was again filled with warmth, the clouds evaporated and the sun shone again._

_The familiar scent of pine made its way into Cho¡¦s nose as she turned around._

_Cho__ drowned herself in the pool of the ocean blue eyes. _

_¡§It¡¦s alright now Cho, you¡¦ve got me. I¡¦m here to protect you,¡¨ the blonde whispered and kissed Cho¡¦s tears away._

_¡§Oh, Draco, I don¡¦t know what I would do without you,¡¨ Cho hugged Draco tightly._

_¡§I don¡¦t know what I would do without you. I learned so much from you...¡¨ Draco locked her fingers with Cho¡¦s and led her into the forest._

_¡§Where are you taking me?¡¨ Cho giggled._

_¡§It¡¦s a surprise¡¨ was the response._

_Cho¡¦s__ eyes were covered by Draco¡¦s pale hands as he led her down a sloped and rocky path._

_Cho__ arrived with open eyes in a dark chamber, decorated with serpents on the walls. Immediately, Cho felt a rush of discomfort overcoming her._

_Draco__ dragged Cho into a mysterious room where she could make out two figures. One was a hooded stranger standing quietly in the corner. Another was in the opposite corner, tied against a cross... the man was badly injured with bloodstain on his robe. His face was awfully scarred and seemed to have been slashed many times. He was... Harry Potter._

_Eyes wide opened, Cho faced Draco to question what¡¦s going on._

_Before Cho could open her mouth, the figure pulled the hood down to show a pair of blood-freezing red eyes. It¡¦s scaly skin terrified Cho._

_¡§You made it just in time to see the show, Draco,¡¨ the man hissed._

_Cho__ gasped, ¡§the Dark Lord.¡¨_

_¡§Yes, it is I. Good job, Draco. For bringing Harry Potter here.¡¨_

_Draco__ was silent._

_Cho__ stared into Draco¡¦s eyes, now no longer the warm, caring blue, but the cold gray.___

_¡§Avada Kedavra!¡¨_

_The green light blinded everyone in the room as only Cho¡¦s voice was heard, ¡§NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡¨_

Cho woke up with cold sweat running down her back. ¡§It¡¦s only a nightmare, it¡¦s only a nightmare.¡¨

She stared sideways to look at her alarm clock. 3:00 P.M.

Cho groaned, knowing that she has difficulty falling back asleep once she wakes up. She put on her robe and made her way out of the portrait hole.

¡§Where do you think you¡¦re going?¡¨ The Medieval witch murmured crankily.

¡§Hmm... Can¡¦t sleep,¡¨ and Cho ran towards the kitchen, hoping to get a cup of milk from the house-elf.

Cho rammed into someone on her way there...

A/N: Wow, a cliffhanger. My very first cliffhanger! HAHA. I am sooooo evil!


	11. Our sanctuary

A/N: Woohoo! It¡¦s the summer and school¡¦s out! Who¡¦s going to stop me from getting wild? Oh wait, I¡¦m not at a legal age to live by myself yet, darn... look at the bright side, I could now update more often. Heh heh ^__^¡¦¡¦ As I am someone who absolutely hates it when authors abandon their stories and leave them hanging, I shall not abandon my ¡§From Above¡¨ story. I could now update that one too! YEAH! What else can I do? Oh yes, I want to make a new story about Cedric and Cho. I should really write stories with another character besides Cho... someday I will. 

nytechild89: Why thank you for reading. Here¡¦s the chapter.

Gandella Raye: Dictionary defines teachers as people who teach (a very vague definition indeed). I define them as a special kind of species that strain their minds to do whatever it takes to educate the youngsters. By educating, I mean by giving kids loads and loads of work while they sit on their oh-so-comfortable seats and watch the students suffer! HAHA, I¡¦m just joking. I¡¦m thinking of being a teacher myself, although I wish for a job that will allow much freedom and traveling. Anywho, school is over now, so joy to the world! 

Shirayuki: First and foremost, I must agree with you! The injustice fate brings upon poor, innocent souls... Aye, Cedric and Cho are so sweet together, but heaven must part them. Sad... really... -___- Anyhow, Here¡¦s the chapter. ^__^

Sakura-08: Yup, I¡¦m just going to keep on going. I was being repetitive in that last sentence. O__O¡¨

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

¡§Harry!¡¨ Cho exclaimed.

Harry¡¦s eyes opened as wide as Cho¡¦s as his invisibility cloak was knocked off halfway to display his scarred head.

¡§Your... your... head... body... gone...¡¨ Cho¡¦s legs failed her and brought her down to the icy cold floor.

¡§Don¡¦t worry, it¡¦s just my,¡¨ Harry hesitated as he took off his water-like cloak, ¡§invisibility cloak.¡¨

The interested Cho moved closer to Harry and touched his silky cloak with awe as if it was the eighth wonder of the world.

¡§Magnificent,¡¨ Cho whispered to herself, ¡§where did you get this? It¡¦s rare! Never in my life have I seen such a thing.¡¨

Harry blushed at Cho¡¦s compliment, even though it was directed more to his cloak. ¡§Long story, don¡¦t ask.¡¨ Harry held out his milky white hand to help Cho up. Cho gladly accepted it and patted on her lower back to cleanse the dirt from her navy blue robe.

¡§You know, it¡¦s dangerous to be roaming around the corridor at such at time,¡¨ Cho realized that a fifth year such as Harry was out in the corridor before the sun dawned.

¡§Same to you, Miss Chang,¡¨ Harry teased. He then recognized that he was speaking in such a way to Cho that his face burned with crimson red.

Cho smiled mischievously. ¡§I guess a Ravenclaw such as myself isn¡¦t any better than the nice Gryffindor boy.¡¨

Both Cho and Harry laughed at the comment. They halted when they saw a gleam of light at the corner of the hallway, followed by a ¡§meow.¡¨

Cho and Harry stared at each other, knowing that the person approaching was Filch. ¡§Hurry, get under my cloak!¡¨

Harry wrapped his cloak around the petite Cho and himself and hid behind one of the many statues that lined against the walls of the corridor. Both the witty Ravenclaw and brave Gryffindor stopped breathing for a while, hoping that Filch would not hear them. But being next to Cho, Harry¡¦s heat beat so fast that he swore the sound echoed throughout the halls and was calling out to the entire school. Cho¡¦s cucumber melon scent did not help that.

Harry was lost in wonder for a while. Cho stepped a little bit closer to Harry, touching his arm with her chest, sending electricity across Harry¡¦s body. Harry was relieved that it was so dark, or else Cho would have caught his burning face. Harry¡¦s hormones raced throughout his teenage body until Cho moved away from Harry and took off the cloak.

¡§That was a close one,¡¨ Cho sighed. 

¡§Yes... yes it was. Though I must say that wasn¡¦t a bad experience,¡¨ Harry said in a low voice, still awed.

¡§Excuse me?¡¨ Cho¡¦s eye brow shot up.

¡§Oh... nothing... nothing,¡¨ Harry tried to change the subject. ¡§Why are you out here anyways?¡¨

¡§Oh, I couldn¡¦t sleep... had a nightmare,¡¨ Cho shuddered at her nightmare, ¡§by the way, why are YOU out here?¡¨

¡§Same reason as you,¡¨ Harry caressed his scar.

¡§Do you get nightmares often?¡¨ Cho asked curiously.

¡§I don¡¦t know... I guess I do,¡¨ Harry sighed.

¡§It must be hard for you... I mean, all the things that occurred to you,¡¨ Cho said sympathetically.

¡§No, people grow by experiences. A few bad ones will only make a person strongerr,¡¨ Harry said shaking his head.

Cho stared down at her feet and played with her robe. ¡§Yes, I know what you mean...¡¨

¡§I¡¦m sorry, I mean I¡¦m really sorry about...¡¨ Harry tried to comfort Cho.

¡§No, don¡¦t be. It¡¦s not your fault. What happened to Cedric was tragic, but it happened,¡¨ a tear escaped Cho¡¦s eyes.

Harry moved closer to Cho and wrapped his muscular arms around the small frame of the Chinese girl. Someone in the corner of Harry¡¦s eyes moved and he gasped. ¡§Who¡¦s there?¡¨ Harry yelled, half trying to whisper so he doesn¡¦t stun Filch or anybody else. He then ran towards the figure as tall as him. ¡§Stay here, Cho,¡¨ Harry managed to say.

From where Cho was standing, she saw two silhouettes dancing on the walls with sound effects she cannot make out. Cho couldn¡¦t help her curiosity and walked towards the source of the sudden excitement. 

¡§Malfoy! What are you doing here, spying on Cho and I?¡¨ Cho saw Harry shout at Draco while his hands clenched the blonde¡¦s collar.

Malfoy¡¦s ocean blue eyes darted from Harry¡¦s to Cho¡¦s. At that moment, he was seriously sweating bullets. But instead of the usual smirk he would give, he said stupidly, ¡§I was lookin¡¦ fur mah wifey!¡¨

Draco ran towards Cho and wrapped his arms clumsily around Cho. The frightened girl freed herself from the sudden embrace and responded by giving a disgusted look.

¡§Wifey?¡¨ Harry¡¦s angry emerald orbs turned sad.

¡§No, it¡¦s not what you think, Harry!¡¨ Cho tried to explain.

¡§No, no, you don¡¦t need to explain to me. It¡¦s not my business,¡¨ with that, Harry ran away.

Cho¡¦s eyes followed Harry¡¦s running figure until he disappeared into the dark hallway. She sighed and turned to the smiling blonde.

¡§Look what you did? Even when you¡¦re retarded, you manage to make Harry avoid [A/N: not the cowardly kind of avoid, just the I-don¡¦t-want-trouble kind of avoid] you.¡¨ 

Draco stared at Cho with big angelic eyes.

¡§For heaven¡¦s sake! Stop staring at me like that! I honestly can¡¦t stand you!¡¨ Cho looked away angrily, ¡§Why are you here anyways?¡¨

¡§I was bored in mah room. Those two pig-like people were sleepin¡¦ an¡¦ snorin¡¦. I couldn¡¦t sleep from that thundering sound,¡¨ Draco said as he played with his lengthy, oily blond hair.

¡§Do you know how to get back to your common room?¡¨ Cho asked.

¡§Common room?¡¨ Draco stared at Cho eyes wide.

¡§Figures... here¡¦s what I¡¦ll do. There¡¦s this place I know in Hogwarts that no one goes and check. You¡¦ll stay there for the night and tomorrow morning, I¡¦ll bring you back down to the corridors so you¡¦ll be found by your mates. Alright?¡¨ Cho finished her suggestion.

Draco didn¡¦t understand a word Cho said, so the witty girl simply led the Slytherin to her destination.

¡§Immah scared, Cho,¡¨ Draco held Cho¡¦s hands for comfort.

Cho tried to sweep Draco¡¦s pale, cold hands away but figured that Draco was only a retarded guy, so she¡¦ll treat him better.

¡§Your hand is smooth and warm,¡¨ Draco commented, sounding normal and Cho thought she saw a smirk.

Cho stared at Draco curiously as if looking for something on his face. 

After many twists and turns in the dark corridor, they arrived at a door on the top floor of the south building. Cho pushed the green wooden door open to reveal a stair that twisted against a wall with candles hanging on the top lit dimly. After what seemed like hours, the couple finally arrived. Draco let go of Cho¡¦s hand and ran towards the balcony. Cho moved next to him and stared at the dark sky, decorated with many glittery stars. 

¡§This is a beau-ti-ful place!¡¨ Draco admired, ¡§I didn¡¦t know dey hab such a place ¡¥ere.¡¨

Cho smiled, ¡§of course you don¡¦t. Even if you did, you wouldn¡¦t remember.¡¨

¡§Yeah, yeah... I guess,¡¨ Draco agreed.

¡§Huh?¡¨

¡§How did you discover this place?¡¨ Draco suddenly changed the topic.

¡§Cedric and I used to come up here very often before...¡¨ Cho couldn¡¦t continue.

¡§Who¡¦s Cedric?¡¨

¡§He¡¦s a very special person in my heart,¡¨ Cho said softly.

¡§Was he important to you?¡¨

Cho couldn¡¦t hold back her tears anymore.

¡§Yes, yes he was...¡¨ Cho covered her face with both of her hands.

Not knowing when to stop, Draco continued asking, ¡§Where is he now?¡¨

¡§He¡¦s in a faraway place. But he¡¦s not really gone, he¡¦s always here with me. He¡¦s always running in my mind...¡¨ Cho¡¦s voice broke as she spoke.

¡§Why are you crying? Did Cedric do something to you?¡¨ Draco asked dumbly.

¡§No, never! Cedric would never hurt me!¡¨ Cho defended her love.

Memories of the past played inside Cho¡¦s head.

_¡§I hate you Cedric! I hate you!¡¨ Cho threw, with all her might, a rock into the river. The squid was attacked by the rock and splashed water on Cho in retaliation. Feeling sorry, but angry at the same time, Cho ran away from the lake and ran towards the forest. _

_¡§Cho!¡¨__ Cedric came running towards Cho._

_¡§Go away Cedric! I don¡¦t ever want to see your face again!¡¨ Cho shouted and continued running._

_However, despite Cho¡¦s speedy dash, Cedric quickly caught up and grasped onto Cho¡¦s delicate arm._

_¡§Stop Cho!__ I can explain!¡¨ the light brown hair boy said panting._

_¡§No, don¡¦t explain. Don¡¦t bother, I¡¦m not anyone important to you. It¡¦s not like I¡¦m your girlfriend. Whatever you do is not my business,¡¨ Cho tried to free herself from Cedric¡¦s grasp but failed, ¡§What do you want with me, Diggory, the handsome Hufflepuff? What would you want from a fifth year Ravenclaw, another face you see everyday as another one of those groupies!¡¨_

_¡§Cho, no!__ You are not a groupie! You are not just anyone! And yes! You are important to me!¡¨ Cedric shouted for Cho¡¦s attention._

_Cho__ calmed down a bit with eyes staining from her salty tears. ¡§What?¡¨_

_¡§Cho, what happened back there... Hannah came up and kissed me. I didn¡¦t want that to happen. I didn¡¦t know... honestly,¡¨ Cedric became worried by the moment because he was afraid he was going to say something wrong._

_Cho¡¦s__ eyes softened a bit, ¡§Even if it was an accident, you didn¡¦t have to run down here to explain to me. It¡¦s none of my business.¡¨_

_¡§Yes it is! I...¡¨ Cedric stuttered._

_¡§You what?¡¨___

_¡§I...love...¡¨ _

_¡§Uh huh...¡¨_

_¡§peanut butter and jelly sandwich!¡¨ Cedric screamed with his face red._

_¡§Very interesting indeed, Mr. Diggory.__ Thank you for sharing that fact with me. Now would you excuse me, I¡¦ve got divination homework to do,¡¨ feeling disappointed, Cho made her way around Cedric towards the castle._

_¡§No! What I meant to say was... I LOVE YOU!¡¨ Cedric almost shouted._

_Stopped in a halt, Cho dared not turn around. She smiled to herself and remained motionless._

_¡§I couldn¡¦t stop thinking about you since that time we met. I don¡¦t know what had gotten over me. I couldn¡¦t pay attention in class, at night I dream of you, I even see your face in my pumpkin juice! When I see you, I can barely walk or breathe. I swear my heart was going to jump out my chest when I see you...¡¨ Cedric was stopped by Cho¡¦s sudden kiss._

_¡§Enough, you¡¦re babbling,¡¨ Cho gave a heart-warming smile._

_Cedric couldn¡¦t help but smile too. ¡§You know Cho, I would never do anything to hurt you. Never...¡¨_

¡§CHO?!¡¨ Draco screamed.

¡§Huh?¡¨ Cho came back to reality.

¡§You were in lala land,¡¨ Draco laughed, ¡§but why are you crying?¡¨

Cho wiped away her tears and waved Draco away, ¡§Go to sleep.¡¨

Draco obeyed and placed himself on the stone cold ground uncomfortably and quickly fell asleep.

¡§I see I won¡¦t be getting a good night sleep if I leave you here alone. I can¡¦t believe I¡¦m going to marry you, after how mean you were to me,¡¨ Cho said to herself, taking off her robe.

She placed it on Draco, who was now scrunched up like a fur ball. ¡§Good night, little Dracie.¡¨

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


	12. A different feeling

Disclaimer: I don¡¦t own any character in this story and the copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. 

A/N: Ugh, I¡¦m so horrible for not updating for two months! Forgive me, fellow readers. I kind of suffered writer¡¦s block for a while. Nothing came to my mind when I wanted to write and I hated writing so much in that period of time. But at least I¡¦m updating this again, right? Sorry, people! Oh, by the way, please check out my other story, ¡§It¡¦s All Right.¡¨ That is very different from all my other stories and I would really love for some reviews for that story.  
  


Boisterous crowds bombarded the entrance of Hogwarts in the cold morning. Among the swarm of people stood out a girl in midnight black hair. 

¡§I can¡¦t wait to see Peter,¡¨ Bridget squealed. Obviously, it was her first date of the year.

¡§Cho? Earth to Cho! Hello?¡¨ Bridget waved her hand animatedly in front of Cho¡¦s eyes.

¡§Huh? Peter¡¦s here?¡¨ Cho snapped back from daze.

¡§No, not yet,¡¨ Bridget blushed crimson, ¡§enough about me, what¡¦s wrong? You¡¦re not being yourself lately.¡¨ Her flushed face suddenly turned serious.

Cho tucked at her navy blue sweater subconsciously and looked down at her sneakers.

¡§Cho Chang! I¡¦m surprise at you! We tell each other everything! What is the matter?¡¨ Bridget grabbed Cho¡¦s arm and shook it a bit too forcefully. Cho took a deep sigh before swinging her arm out of Bridget¡¦s grasp.

¡§It¡¦s nothing, it¡¦s just¡K¡¨

¡§No, it doesn¡¦t look like it¡¦s nothing to me,¡¨ Bridget cut Cho off before she could finish.

Once at Hogsmeade, Bridget spotted a tall boy in dark brown hair in front of The Three Broomsticks. Trying her best not to jump up and down, Bridget turned to Cho and uttered in a rush that she¡¦ll talk to Cho later.

¡§Have¡K¡¨ Bridget didn¡¦t let Cho finish and dashed off, ¡§fun.¡¨

A lot has been on Cho¡¦s mind lately. There¡¦s only so much that a brain can hold. N.E.W.T.s, homework, friends, guys, and Draco¡K so much are going on in her mind. _Wait, did I just think of Draco_? Cho stopped her thought at that. There¡¦s really nothing she could do about Draco, she¡¦s engaged to him and it¡¦s utterly wrong to think about other guys when she¡¦s betrothed.

She smacked her head a few times only to earn gazes from a few fifth years that past by Zonko¡¦s Joke Shop. Smiling nervously, Cho rushed out of the crowd. _Great, not only am I stressed out, but everyone thinks I¡¦m bizarre now._

¡§Cho-ey!¡¨ a very childish voice sounded through the foggy air. 

_Oh no, here comes trouble_. Cho thought as she turned around to be embraced tightly by Draco. Some of Draco¡¦s shaggy hair flew into Cho¡¦s mouth, which were immediately spat out to Cho¡¦s disgust. Thank goodness, he no longer gels his hair, or else his hair would leave an unpleasant aftertaste on her taste buds.

¡§Cho-ey! I¡¦ve been looking for you!¡¨ Draco¡¦s blue eyes sparkled.

¡§Stop calling me that! It makes me sound so pathetic,¡¨ Cho tried to hush Draco, but to no avail.

¡§But that¡¦s an adorable name for you, Cho-ey!¡¨ Draco clapped his hands together.

Knowing that it¡¦s hopeless to knock any sense to a retarded Draco, Cho shook her head lightly into her hands. _And she¡¦s to be married to him_. She examined Draco¡¦s black button-down shirt and realized that something didn¡¦t look right. 

¡§Geez, I know that mind of yours can¡¦t function very well, but I would think you could button your shirt, but at least your jeans are zipped,¡¨ Cho said in a motherly tone before unbuttoning Draco¡¦s shirt and buttoning the shirt correctly, this time.

Draco grabbed onto Cho¡¦s hands, which looked really small compared to him. _God, he may be retarded, but he¡¦s still so gorgeous_. Cho thought as she stared into his piercing blue eyes. _Oh my god! Is he caressing me?_ Cho blushed a few shades of red and tried yanking her hand away, but Draco only held on tighter. Deep down inside, Cho really liked what Draco was doing and hoped that he continues.

¡§I saw Crabbe do this to Pansy, you seem to like it,¡¨ Draco said with a toothy grin. His speech has improved a lot lately, maybe someone¡¦s been tutoring him personally.

Cho jerked her hand away and this time she succeeded. Without meeting Draco¡¦s gaze, she stuttered out, ¡§no, of course not, you don¡¦t know anything.¡¨ She looked around the streets only to discover a few people watching. As quickly as her instincts could tell her, she grabbed Draco into a less crowded area. In fact, it looked pretty deserted. The only thing that occupied the area was a shabby house.

When Cho turned around, Draco was sneezing nonstop. She may be a girl, but she instinctively took off her sweater, exposing her pink tank top and wrapped the sweater around Draco. _I should have brought my cloak._ Cho chided to herself that it was perfectly ridiculous for a girl to do this to a guy, when it was suppose to be a guy paving a sweater on her. Immediately after her bare skin was exposed to the air, Cho began to shiver. The now warm Draco seemed to have realized this and wrapped his arms around Cho.

¡§What are you---¡¨ a shocked Cho asked.

¡§Shh¡K Cho-ey, you¡¦re cold,¡¨ Draco ushered her. Cho isn¡¦t complaining. It was the first time in a while that she¡¦s been hugged that way and she really felt warm from the heart out.

Draco turned Cho around to face him and stared intently into her milky brown eyes. Cho can¡¦t help but hold her breath when Draco was gazing at her that way. _Jesus, is he retarded at all?_ Cho wondered. Her thought was hastily interrupted when Draco smashed his lips on top of Cho¡¦s soft, full ones.

Panicking, Cho tried to push Draco away but failed as she melted in his arms. She snaked her arms around Draco¡¦s neck and started returning the kiss. By now, Draco had entered Cho¡¦s parted mouth and massaged her tongue gently with hers. When their lips parted, both were breathless.

¡§Wow! I saw Crabbe doing that, but I didn¡¦t know it was that fun!¡¨ Draco giggled.

A very flustered Cho bowed her head down and said, ¡§um¡K yeah.¡¨ Silence fell amongst the two for a while when Cho said, not daring to meet Draco¡¦s gaze, ¡§just promise me to never do that again.¡¨

Draco, pouting, whined, ¡§but why not? You seemed to have liked it!¡¨

¡§No! You _thought_ I enjoyed it,¡¨ Cho now gained back her senses and started reasoning. It wasn¡¦t much of a reason because she did really enjoy it. Draco may have become retarded now, but he seems to still remember what he used to do to girls before the accident.

¡§Come on, we should get back,¡¨ Cho clasped her hands to Draco¡¦s protectively and led him back towards the castle. It has now become a responsibility of hers to take care of Draco, and for some odd reason, Cho really didn¡¦t hate it that much. In fact, she¡¦s beginning to enjoy herself.

***

Cho eyed Bridget¡¦s neck suspiciously when she joined the petite Ravenclaw seeker at the table for supper. Seeing where Cho¡¦s staring at, Bridget rubbed her neck without realizing she was doing it. Bridget stopped what she was doing when she saw Cho¡¦s impish smirk.

¡§_What?_¡¨ stammered a reddened Bridget.

¡§Let me guess, Peter?¡¨ Cho pointed to a red mark on her neck while scooping some mashed potato on her plate. Bridget didn¡¦t say anything, but only nodded slowly. From Bridget¡¦s response, Cho laughed out really hard.

Holding on her stomach real hard, Cho coughed out while laughing, ¡§weren¡¦t you the one who told me that kissing on the first date was not appropriate?¡¨

¡§I didn¡¦t say that¡K¡¨ Bridget¡¦s nose now flared.

¡§Oh no?¡¨ Cho¡¦s eyebrow raised. ¡§Now, Cho, girls should be the passive ones in a relationship. You make sure guys don¡¦t get their goody-goodies until the third date or so,¡¨ mocked Cho in a squeaky tone. With that, Bridget slapped Cho¡¦s arm really hard and grabbed a drumstick to her plate, while the very amused Cho watched.

After dinner was done, Bridget and Cho walked up to their common room. 

¡§So, tell me?¡¨ Bridget now faced Cho.

¡§Tell you what?¡¨ Cho looked straight ahead to a few second years and warned them, ¡§don¡¦t run!¡¨

¡§You know what I¡¦m talking about. Him!¡¨

¡§Him? Draco you mean?¡¨

¡§No, I¡¦m talking about the great mighty Merlin,¡¨ a not at all amused Bridget said.

¡§Is that sarcasm I smell?¡¨ Cho grinned stupidly.

¡§Poor Cho, I seriously feel sorry for you. I mean you¡¦re engaged to an idiot! He used to be gorgeous, but now--¡¨ Bridget was cut off before she could finish.

¡§Bridget! He¡¦s not an _idiot_!¡¨ Cho¡¦s eyes narrowed at her friend¡¦s comment.

¡§Why are you so offended, it¡¦s not like you like him. God knows you even _hate_ him!¡¨ Bridget swung her hands around nervously at Cho¡¦s angry tone of voice.

¡§No, I don¡¦t hate him,¡¨ suddenly, Cho found the hem of her sweater very interesting.

¡§Oh my gawd, Cho! You don¡¦t like him, do you?¡¨

¡§Merlin no! It¡¦s just that I feel a duty¡K to protect him, that¡¦s all,¡¨ Cho blinked a few times before answering.

¡§Right right, he¡¦s such a horrible person though,¡¨ Bridget crossed her arm with disapproval.

¡§I think he¡¦s quite sweet,¡¨ Cho thought out loud.

¡§_What?_ Did you just say--¡¨ a very shocked Bridget questioned worriedly.

Cho took her chance to get into the common room when a couple of first years swung the door open to leave. 

¡§Hey, I¡¦m not done with you!¡¨ Bridget tried to catch up with Cho.

¡§Night, Bridget,¡¨ Cho muttered with her cheeks burning. When she closed her dormitory¡¦s door behind her, she leaned against it and let out a deep sigh. _Draco and I_?_ It can¡¦t be, I¡¦m not falling for him, I¡¦m just feeling a duty to be nice to him, that¡¦s all, right?_ Those were Cho¡¦s thoughts before she retreated to bed.


	13. Revelation

_There she is!_ Draco mused as he hopped towards the garden. Ms. Sprouts gave permission for Cho and Draco to use the garden to help Draco better understand the different type of herbs. An idea flashed through Draco¡¦s mind as he stealthily tiptoed towards the undisturbed Ravenclaw seeker.

¡§BOO!¡¨ 

Cho whipped her head around, slashing her wand towards the offender. At the realization that it was Draco, she tucked her wand back into her robe. 

¡§That was not nice, Drake.¡¨ Cho decided to call Draco Drake a month ago because she found it too formal to call her ¡§fiancé¡¨ Draco.

Draco beamed as he kneeled down next to Cho, studying the pot of plant in her hands.

¡§Um¡K what¡¦s that Cho-ey?¡¨ Cho followed Draco¡¦s gaze towards her plant.

Cho puffed out her chest and there was a glint of excitement in her eyes. Herbology was one of her favorite subjects at Hogwarts. In class, she was praised for being one of the knowledgeable ones of herbs.

¡§It¡¦s Abdonium Auditor. Its properties include concealment and that of listening in furtiveness.¡¨ 

Draco scratched his blond hair free of gel as he gave the raven hair girl a puzzling look.

Cho held up her index finger, motioning for Draco to hold on a moment as she went to the bench to retrieve her backpack. After minutes of ruffling in the sack, she took out a leather bound book with black letterings which read _All You Need to Know about Abdonium Auditor._

Cho eyed Draco nonchalantly as she said thumbed the pages on her oversized book. 

¡§My aunt gave it to me last Christmas when she found out about how much I love herbs. I didn¡¦t think this was ever going to be used for practical use,¡¨ Cho grinned at Draco.

¡§Cho-ey? You really love plants?¡¨ Draco gave a mischievous smile.

Knowing that look, Cho asked suspiciously, ¡§Why?¡¨

Draco shook his head as he jumped up suddenly. ¡§It¡¦s a surprise Choey! Close your eyes, I¡¦ll show you.¡¨

Cho brushed an irritated hand through her raven black hair as she refused the offer.

¡§Please!!! Pretty please! With a cherry on the top! I promise you it will be enormously completely absolutely fun!¡¨ Cho finally got up to accept as she couldn¡¦t resist that spirited smile from her ¡§Drake.¡¨

¡§This better be quick because I have to owl my mum after this.¡¨

Draco gripped on Cho¡¦s small, gentle hands and pulled her full blast towards the Forbidden Forest.

¡§Drake! No! Didn¡¦t I tell you the Forbidden Forest is absolutely prohibited to go in?¡¨ Cho tucked at Draco¡¦s large hands and tried to pull him back towards the castle.

¡§Choey, don¡¦t get your knickers all in a bunch now! I found this place sometime last week. Please come with me¡K just this once,¡¨ with that, Draco gave Cho a puppy-dog face.

After contemplating for three minutes, Cho finally gave in. ¡§I¡¦m going to do this, but I know I will regret this later on.¡¨

Draco pounded on his chest and said, ¡§I promise you won¡¦t regret this.¡¨

***

After what seemed like centuries of walking on dry leaves and crushing fallen branches, Cho eyed around the forest. _I don¡¦t like this, I don¡¦t like this one bit_ was all that Cho could think about.

As Draco came to a halt, all Cho did was face a big oak tree and talk to it.

¡§Alright, go back and shatter poor Drake¡¦s heart but saving our bums? Or stay with Drake¡¦s plan and get killed by one of the monsters here and have our bodies all chewed up?¡¨ Cho bit her bottom lip as she said silently to the tree. _Stay Cho!_ This voice said inside of Cho¡¦s head. ¡§But what if we really die in here. Good lord we won¡¦t even have a proper coffin!¡¨ _Well then, you die knowing Drake was happy._ ¡§What makes you think I care about Drake¡¦s feelings?¡¨ _It¡¦s written all over your face Cho._ ¡§No it¡¦s not, he¡¦s just a fiancé. ¡§He may be nice and adorable, with those grayish blue eyes that glints when he smiles and with those blond locks that¡K¡¨ Cho covered her mouth suddenly as it hit her that she was complimenting Draco. The very same Draco who taunted her during the summer. The same Draco who insulted her last year at school.

Cho was snapped back to reality when Draco pulled his hands on the small of Cho¡¦s back and pushed her towards a curtain of leaves, all the while pushing them aside.

¡§Drake¡K I¡K¡¨ Cho didn¡¦t finish before a gasp took over her breath.

¡§Do you like it?¡¨ Draco grinned, flashing his pearly white teeth.

¡§Like it? I love it!¡¨ Cho hugged Draco tightly as she squealed.

¡§Almost as much as you love me Choey?¡¨ Draco¡¦s eyes became clouded with something Cho couldn¡¦t place as he uttered those words. Those words were so slight that even at Cho¡¦s close distance with Draco, she could barely hear.

Cho tried to change the subject as she looked around at the garden filled with seas of flowers with red, green, blue, and all the colors you can name. Since it was dark in there, it is amazing that each plant was glittering proudly in their attributed color.

When Cho turned back towards Draco, he smashed his lips upon Cho¡¦s.

At first, it was a gentle smack on the lips, but then Draco¡¦s tongue began to massage Cho¡¦s bottom lip, asking for entrance. 

As if Draco felt Cho¡¦s sudden stiffness, he began to knead Cho¡¦s arms gently, calming her.

At first, Cho was so shocked that she just stood there. But as Draco¡¦s tongue continued to manipulate Cho¡¦s lips, she became lost in trance. _God, he sure doesn¡¦t act like a retarded person._

Cho admitted to Draco¡¦s invitation as she parted her lips. Both her and Draco¡¦s tongues danced in both of their mouths, with a certain urgency in the way they kiss. It is as if they needed to have this kiss more than anything, that if they don¡¦t do this, they will die. Cho couldn¡¦t stop the moan that erupted within her throat as she flicked her tongue within Draco¡¦s throat.

Cho was the first person to brake the kiss when she broke a part to catch her breath. When she stared at those eyes of Draco, they darkened into a midnight blue. _God how I love those eyes. _

Cho shook off her thoughts as she unhooked her hand which was on Draco¡¦s neck. She didn¡¦t know how her hand made its way there but she guessed that she must have been so lost in the kiss.

¡§Wow¡K¡¨ Draco was the first to brake the silence.

¡§Yeah¡K¡¨ was all Cho could whisper.

Cho then turned to Draco with a sudden serious face. She reached for one of Draco¡¦s pale hands and subconsciously began to rub it.

¡§Drake?¡¨

¡§Hm?¡¨

¡§I want you to tell me the truth¡K Are you¡K retarded?¡¨

Draco¡¦s eyes became a tumult of blue as a sudden realization came to him. He plucked the nearest purple tulip by him and brushed his fingers against the petals before he tucked it in Cho¡¦s hair.

¡§Drake? I want the truth,¡¨ Cho begged.

¡§I¡K no,¡¨ Draco turned away, ashamed of what he said.

¡§You¡K¡¨ Cho got up now, unable to control this sudden surprise, ¡§you mean to say you lied to me?!¡¨

¡§Yes¡K¡¨

¡§Were you lying to me this whole time?!¡¨

¡§No! Lord no Choey! You know I won¡¦t lie to you if I don¡¦t have to.¡¨

¡§You won¡¦t lie to me. Hah! That¡¦s funny!¡¨ Cho suddenly threw the flower in her hair to the ground.

There was a long moment of silence as they both watched the flower fall to the ground, excessively slow. 

¡§Well?¡¨ Cho demanded.

¡§I wasn¡¦t lying before¡K I was retarded, for a while. For the first two months of school.¡¨

Seeing Cho¡¦s silence and violent glare, Draco continued on his explanation.

¡§I realized that after I¡¦m not retarded, you¡¦ll leave me. You won¡¦t want to spend time with me anymore, or be near me for the matter.¡¨

Cho was cleching her fist really tightly, with a stare that can kill.

¡§I thought that if I was retarded for a little longer, you¡¦ll like me for just a while more. All I¡¦m asking is to spend time with you. I don¡¦t want you to hate me,¡¨ Draco looked at the ground with panic.

A soft expression replaced Cho¡¦s previous murderous one as she stepped a little closer to Draco. 

¡§I can never hate you, not after all this,¡¨ Cho motioned towards the bed of flowers.

Draco¡¦s pleading eyes drilled into Cho¡¦s soft brown ones. ¡§But what you¡¦re doing is selfish, loving¡K but selfish.¡¨ Cho grabbed Draco in for a hug with a smile.

¡§I think I love you, you know that?¡¨ Cho whispered.

¡§I know,¡¨ Draco said with a large smile.

A/N: Yeah¡K sorry about how long this took¡K


	14. Tastes like strawberry shortcake

Harry adjusted his tie as he checked himself in the mirror by the librarian¡¦s desk. Some people sitting by the nearest bookshelf eyed him oddly, all the while whispering to their friends about Harry¡¦s amusing behaviour.

He cleared his throat and tried to tame his wild jet-black hair as he approached the fifth bookshelf to the right. 

¡§Hullo Cho,¡¨ he greeted merrily, knowing perfectly well that the Asian was in that section of the library.

The petite girl looked up from her book about herbology and saw Harry. She gave the famous boy a warm smile and nodded her head.

¡§Nice weather today, isn¡¦t it?¡¨ Harry said somewhat nervously.

Cho looked out of the colorfully tainted window and chuckled. ¡§Harry, it¡¦s raining cats and dogs. Unless you call flooding the first floor of Hogwarts nice weather, then I guess it is.¡¨

Harry blushed at his blunt comment. ¡§I meant that as a joke.¡¨

Cho giggled somewhat at Harry¡¦s anxious expression. He looked as if he was about ready to jump off a cliff any minute now.

¡§You know, you could sit down,¡¨ Cho patted on the seat next to hers.

¡§Oh cool,¡¨ Harry said lamely before he sat down, not before tripping over his shoelaces.

Cho smiled amusingly as he watched Harry tie his shoes. ¡§So how have you been lately, Harry?¡¨ She tried to make conversation with the rather handsome boy.

¡§Fine. And how are you?¡¨ 

¡§Same here, nothing special. Been tutoring Draco and getting on with my duties.¡¨ Cho saw Harry¡¦s eyes darkened into a shade of aqua green and looked as he wants to vomit. ¡§Harry, I know you don¡¦t like Draco very much. But once you got to know him, you¡¦ll just absolutely fall in love with him.¡¨

Harry almost choked at that comment. Trying his best to sound polite through clenched teeth he asked, ¡§you¡¦re not in love with him, are you?¡¨

Cho¡¦s eyes widened somewhat at Harry¡¦s blunt comment. She blushed before answering, ¡§Um¡K¡¨

¡§Oh, I¡¦m sorry, I shouldn¡¦t have asked such a stupid question. I mean you¡¦re only engaged to him because his evil parents forced you to. I¡¦ll think of a way to save you from that,¡¨ Harry said as he patted his chest.

Cho couldn¡¦t help but beam at Harry¡¦s action. He has always been such a brave boy. At the mere age of one, he afforded to shatter much of Voldemort¡¦s power, now he couldn¡¦t contain his loyal self to help a friend in need. Actually, Cho is doing fine with Draco and would be more than glad to marry him any day, it¡¦s just that Harry has such enthusiasm in helping Cho that she couldn¡¦t bare the heart to reject his generous offer. 

¡§I¡¦ll thank you first then,¡¨ Cho said jokingly. 

¡§Well well well, who is this? Potter I see, trying to woo my fiancé,¡¨ came a cold drawl.

Cho and Harry turned around to meet a blond boy about the height of six feet. Harry stood up now, standing only one inch below Draco. 

¡§Drake¡K¡¨ Cho said with a hint of warning, ¡§don¡¦t you start a scene now.¡¨

¡§This potty boy is trying to steal my love away from me. He¡¦s a no-good piece of¡K¡¨ 

¡§Don¡¦t you finish that sentence Draco Malfoy,¡¨ Cho raised her voice. Draco kept quiet as he knows when Cho is mad. Cho usually uses his whole name when she gets upset. The Slytherin boy knows better than to get on the Ravenclaw¡¦s bad side. 

¡§What¡¦s the matter Malfoy? You look like you¡¦re about to bite someone¡¦s head off. Cho, I think you should come over here a bit. You don¡¦t want that wild animal to attack you,¡¨ Harry said with a sneer.

Draco clenched his fist and was about to take out his wand when Cho grabbed Draco away from Harry. She took her book bag and dragged Draco out of the library before catching any attention. 

¡§Sorry Harry, I think it¡¦s time for Draco¡¦s medication. I¡¦ll see you later,¡¨ and she rushed out of the door, dragging an unwilling Draco.

¡§Medication? I was about to give that moron a beating so he can get his wimpy little medication from the nurse,¡¨ Draco said rather childishly while crossing his arms.

¡§I¡¦m sorry Drake, but I didn¡¦t want you to fight. That¡¦s not a nice thing,¡¨

¡§What are you my mother?¡¨ Draco snapped.

By now Cho looked offended. ¡§Well I¡¦m sorry if I was worried about you and didn¡¦t want you to get in trouble!¡¨ She turned her way and was about to walk away when Draco grabbed her arm.

¡§I¡¦m sorry Cho-ey, I was just, I don¡¦t know, out of my mind. Potter tend to do that to me,¡¨ Draco said while chocking out the name Potter as if it was a curse word.

¡§I¡¦m sorry too, I should have thought about your feelings,¡¨ Cho said while giving a peck on Draco¡¦s lips. Just when she was about to move away, Draco grabbed onto Cho¡¦s waist and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss.

¡§Uh hum¡K¡¨ Bridget interrupted rather rudely.

Draco looked down at the offender and was ready to say some snappy remarks when the girl pulled Cho towards her. She glared at Draco as she did so.

¡§Cho, we need you in the common room to clear out some business,¡¨ Bridget said urgently.

¡§What could be so important that can¡¦t wait?¡¨ Draco grabbed Cho back to his side while saying impatiently. Cho was definitely caught between the two and wanted to run away.

¡§A jerk like you wouldn¡¦t understand. Cho, c¡¦mon. Cressida doesn¡¦t know whether she should put on her green dress or her violet ones. I¡¦m saying she¡¦s should put on her violet ones because it compliments her eyes. But she doesn¡¦t believe me. She wants to hear your opinion first,¡¨ before Cho could object, Bridget hastily pulled Cho away from Draco and marched up to the Ravenclaw Tower.

¡§Stupid git,¡¨ as if having Cho taken away from him wasn¡¦t bad enough, out walked the famous boy-who-lived.

Harry gave him a dark look before brushing past him, trying his best to ignore the Slytherin. But Draco couldn¡¦t help but slide his feet a little bit outward and thus causing Harry¡¦s rather humiliating fall. A few second-years who passed by pointed and giggled at the Gryffindor.

¡§What the hell is your problem, Malfoy?¡¨

¡§It isn¡¦t hard to see. But you, Potter, is my problem,¡¨ Draco inched closer to Harry, as if daring him to do something to him.

By now, both sixth-years have their wands out and were about to strike.

¡§Expelliarmus!¡¨ Harry shouted towards Draco as he ducked from the spell. 

Draco pointed towards Harry¡¦s nose and shouted, ¡§Engorgio!¡¨ Seeing the effect take place, Draco smiled satisfyingly. Just when his little self-celebration took his attention away, he was hit by Harry¡¦s spell that caused hair to grow all over his hands. Harry couldn¡¦t contain his laughter and despite his enlarged, swelled-up nose, he tried to try without sounding like he is snorting like a pig.

¡§My hands! You will pay for this Potter! Mobilarbus brick!¡¨ Draco summoned the brick that was situated on the side of the hallway and threw it towards Harry. It hit Harry right in his crotch. Normally, a guy would never heard another man¡¦s jewel because he knows exactly how the pain feels like. But at this moment, Draco wants to inflict pain on his arch nemesis. 

Harry doubled over while covering his crotch, hoping the pain will subside. He aimed his wand shakily at Draco and uttered painfully, ¡§Rictusempra.¡¨****

Being the ticklish person that he is, Draco immediately collapsed, rolling around and bumping into the walls. As he was busy laughing from all the tickling the spell had caused him, one of the loose statues on the side crumpled on him and injured his ribs. Draco felt like he was being torn apart when the statue fell on him. 

Before either of them could continue their fight, a first-year came out screaming for help. That was when both the boys were taken to the hospital wing to be treated.

***

¡§I cannot believe you, Draco Malfoy! You started a fight with Harry!¡¨ Cho said when she rushed towards Draco¡¦s bedside.

Draco winced at Cho¡¦s words and his broken ribs were not helping.

¡§Right after I told you not to cause a scene with Harry. You went ahead and start a fight with him. Oh I hope you¡¦re happy because you proved yourself to be one of the most violent people on this planet!¡¨ 

Draco wanted to get up and appease the angry girl, but he couldn¡¦t due to his limited movements from the injury.

At first, Cho didn¡¦t see how wounded Draco was. But now she saw how Draco was flinching in pain, she softened somewhat.

¡§Are you alright?¡¨ she walked towards the blond boy, trying to stop him from moving around too much.

¡§I¡¦m sorry Cho, it¡¦s just¡K I don¡¦t know I¡¦m jealous of him when he¡¦s around you,¡¨ Draco dodged his eyes away from Cho¡¦s, suddenly finding the jug of water by his bed really interesting.

Cho felt a smile climb on her face and went ahead to kiss Draco¡¦s cheek. ¡§I¡¦m sorry for blowing up at you. It¡¦s just sometimes you could be so irrational.¡¨

Draco looked absolutely offended at Cho¡¦s comment.

¡§But I love you nevertheless.¡¨ Now that made Draco happy. He motioned for Cho to bend her head. Of course, the Ravenclaw was more than glad to comply. As their tongues met again, Draco smiled.

She tastes like strawberry shortcake. 

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to chochang0614, Elektra05, Cho-Wood, SomniumSeeker, RowenaRavenclaw96, fairy-lights1, and SweEtLittLeLily. Thanks you guys, you make feel like a million dollars. :P


End file.
